I'll Hate You Forever, I Think
by kris250
Summary: Some things are universally known. Snape is unpleasant. Peter is hopeless. And James and Lily will always hate each other. But then, what does anyone really know? Join the Marauders and friends as they face tragedy, crack jokes, and, somehow, find love.
1. ReIntroductions

Lily Evans' short red hair swished behind her as she stepped into one of the last empty horseless carriages after her best friend, Alice Vivir.

Once she was seated, she turned to Alice and asked, "Do you know where Alex is?" Alex Suerte was another fifth year Gryffindor girl, and one of their best friends.

"Oh, she's coming. You know her. She probably found a group of Ravenclaw boys or something along the way." It was true. At five foot six with long, wavy blonde hair and bright sapphire eyes, Alex was legendary for her major flirting tendencies.

The two girls heard the carriage door open. Turning, expecting to see Alex, they instead saw a tall, brown haired boy climb in. "Hey Lily…Alice." Frank Longbottom's cheeks went slightly red as he took the seat across from Alice, who blushed and tried to hide it behind her shoulder length light brown hair.

"Oh, hi Frank." Alice's voice came out a little higher than usual, and Lily grinned. She had known about Alice's crush on Frank probably longer than Alice herself. It looked as though the feelings were mutual. However, her grin died on her face as she saw who climbed in next. With shaggy black hair hanging just above his shoulders and inquisitive bright gray eyes, the boy was unmistakably Sirius Black. He was like a male form of Alex- never passing up the opportunity to flirt.

Unfortunately, Lily knew who was coming in next. Sure enough, James Potter scrambled in after Sirius, his lanky form extending in the roomy carriage. His dark hazel eyes found Lily's bright emerald ones and his hand instantly went up to rumple his already messy jet-black hair. Lily scowled. He knew how much she hated that. "Evans," he said, nodding formally.

"Potter."

Alice raised her eyebrows in an unspoken question, wondering if anyone else thought it was a bad idea to have the two rivals sitting in the same carriage. Their fights were legendary, and Alice was inwardly concerned for their safety if the two were in a small, enclosed space together. "Frank?" she asked, thinking that he might agree with her.

"Sirius, Alice!" Sirius exclaimed, obviously thinking they were doing some form of re-introductions.

"Sirius." Lily said threateningly, her scowl deepening. She didn't have much patience for the best friend of her archenemy.

"No fair! I already said that," he complained. He stopped when he saw Lily's eyebrows rise threateningly. "Er… all right then. Where's Alex?"

"Right here!" Alex stepped lightly into the carriage, and then took in the assortment of students before her, the majority of them looking either agitated or concerned for their well-being. "What did I miss?"

"Just-" Alice started to explain.

"No. Don't tell me. Lily and Potter, right?" She smirked as everyone nodded. "I should have known."

For the rest of the ride to the castle, for the safety of all, the girls kept to themselves, and boys returned the favor.

"No way!" exclaimed Alice. "You're a prefect! Oh, Lily! I'm so happy for you! I mean, I always knew it would be you, but this is great!"

James snapped to attention. "Evans is a PREFECT?! That's not fair!"

Lily glared at him. "Oh, be quiet," she said, smirking. "You're just mad that I can give you detentions now."

"No I'm not!" James mumbled, crossing his arms and sulking back in his chair. "I just don't think it's right that you can dock points when you want. Only the suck-ups make Prefect, anyway."

"Um… James?" Sirius interrupted. "Remus made prefect too."

"Oh." For once, James seemed to be at a loss for words.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he muttered under his breath. "So, Alex m'dear, miss me much over the break? Were you absolutely miserab;e without my handsome self around? Tell me, how _did_ you survive?"

"Sirius, baby, it was rough. But it looks like I made it back to you unscathed." Alex grinned and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Now, be honest, how much did you miss _me_?"

Sirius pressed a hand to is forehead with a dramatic flair. "It was harder to get out of bed some mornings than others. But alas, knowing I would see you once again kept me alive day-by-day."

Alex giggled, and Sirius shot her a lopsided grin. Alex and Sirius had been flirting with each other since puberty happened, even while having (numerous) relationships with other people. The rest of the carriage ignored them, as they had learned to do.

When they finally arrived at the castle, James hopped out of the carriage first. Lily started to follow, but paused before dropping to the ground. She looked around, four years of memories coming back to her, and breathed deeply. She was home again.

"Oy! Evans! You going to move or are we going to have to wait in here all day?"

Lily's face flushed. She hated being sentimental. "You can stay in here all year for all I care, Black!"

"James, you mind helping us out?"

"Sure, Sirius!" Lily didn't like the mischievous gleam in Potter's eyes. "Down you go, Evans!"

"Potter! Don't you- argh!" James grabbed her swiftly around the waist and started lowering her down, Lily trying furiously to punch him. "Let (punch) go (punch) of (punch) me (punch) Potter (punch)!" The last one connected with his jaw, and he quickly set her on the ground.

"Evans! What was that for?"

"That was for touching me." Lily walked off huffily, leaving James scowling at her back. Alex and Alice hurried to catch up with her.

"Wow! Lily! Do you know how many girls would die if James Potter held them?" Alex was flabbergasted.

"Probably all of them. His breath does stink something awful." She retorted.

"No, it doesn't! I mean, it didn't." Alex protested.

"Yes it- hang on. How would you know?" Lily asked, very curious, and also somewhat afraid of the answer.

"Er… remember that time in third year? When I didn't have a boyfriend?"

"Yes." Alice said slowly, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"Well, I did."

"You don't mean…" Alice asked, shocked. Alex nodded miserably.

"You didn't!" Lily gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

"So what if I did?" Alex said defensively. "He's not all that bad."

"Yes, he is! Potter is a conceited, self-absorbed git!" Lily insisted furiously.

Alex sighed exasperatedly. "Is there any hope in convincing you otherwise?"

"NO!" Lily said forcefully.

"You never know Lily." Alice cut in. "Someday you and Potter might actually get along. You two might actually end up liking each other. It could happen."

"Yeah, right." Lily snorted. "That'll happen when- well, it won't."

As they walked into the castle, the other two girls could hear Lily muttering distinctly under her breath, "Me and Potter! Are they completely nuts?"

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm back! (again). Well, it's the same drill as always. Read, and PLEASE review. It's the reviews that keep me going, and motivate me to write more. If not, I'll probably lose interest again... so the choice is up to you.

Just let me know what you think!! Good? Bad? Grammatical mistakes? Plot holes? Favorite quotes? Favorite scenes? What you liked or didn't like? Favorite chapter even? Or even a chapter title... all I'm asking for is a little feedback!


	2. The Sorting

Soon after Lily stomped off, James heard someone yelling in his ear. "James! Jamesie! Oy! James!"

"Wha- what?" James looked over to Sirius, who had been whacking his shoulder to get his attention. "What was that for?"

"Remus and Peter want to have a… er… talk with us."

Remus and Peter were glaring at Sirius and James, arms crossed. They did not look happy. "James. Sirius. What gives you the right to abandon Peter and me to go about chasing the ladies?" Remus looked thoroughly pissed.

"Yeah!" Peter squeaked out. "You know who we had to ride in a carriage with? Bertha Jorkins. We spent the entire ride listening to the gruesome details of who's going out with who and how long she thinks they'll stay together."

James snorted. "Is that all? Sirius and I had to spend the entire ride with- get this- EVANS and her friends. It was awful."

Remus' face lit up in understanding. "So I guess that explains why your jaw is all red. It was Lily, wasn't it." His expression grew concerned. "You didn't do anything to her, did you?"

Sirius smirked. "Well, Jamesie here had the overwhelming urge to forcibly remove Miss Evans from the doorway-"

"Hey, you told me to!"

"-and she got quite upset. Not exactly the way to win fair lady's heart."

James snorted again. "Fair lady! Her? Fair ladies don't smack their knights in shining armor."

Sirius batted his eyelashes. "But dear Jamesie! Lady Evans 'twas not your damsel in distress. I was, remember? Now that my knight has saved me, does this mean that we ride of into the sunset and live happily ever after?"

"Sirius!" James roared. The aforementioned had already sprinted off to the castle, with his 'knight' in close pursuit. Remus and Peter looked at each other, then laughed and followed them into the Great Hall.

Professor McGonagall stood in front of the Great Hall, halfway through reading off the names of the first years. The new students looked positively terrified, after learning that they would have to sit on a wobbly stool in front of the entire school population while a talking hat was placed on their heads to read their minds. The pinched expression on McGonagall's face didn't help much (Peeves had let a charmed box of flying cow brains loose in the teacher's corridors).

"Lockhart, Gilderoy." A blond, naïve-looking boy nervously shuffled onto the dais. The expression on his face was slightly more stressed than that of Snape after he found that his robes had been charmed to fly up at random times to reveal his scraggly legs (and a little more) the year before, compliments of James and his friends.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hat shouted, after a short time.

"DeLomy, Horace." A surly looking boy with dark, unpleasant facial features lumbered up to the stool.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Magoy, Charles." The next newcomer looked slightly apprehensive as he sat down, as if struggling to maintain his aloof composure.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Cried the hat, after a long pause.

"Ormick, Lenna."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The heavyset girl smiled as she went to join her new housemates.

And finally, with 'Yakipy, Pauline' (Ravenclaw) the Sorting was over.

Dumbledore, seated in the centered Headmaster's chair, stood and raised both hands. "Attention students! A few short words, please, before you indulge in the most pleasurable act of gorging oneself on the excellent dishes that have been prepared. First, it is my pleasure to welcome some new members to our staff. Our caretaker, known to most of us as Og, has been replaced by Mr. Argus Filch."

Dumbledore gestured to the side door, where a shy looking man waved to the polite applause, a young cat seated at his feet. "We're going to have fun breaking this one in," James whispered to Remus.

"Also, please welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Miss Sarah Milles." A young woman stood up from near the end of the staff table, laughing as some of the more raucous boys let out some catcalls (Sirius included).

"And finally, I would like to add that due to the increase in unpleasant events taking place in our world, it is likely that until the ringleader of these crimes is caught, Hogsmeade visits will either be greatly supervised or the age requirement will rise to fifth year. Now, please, enjoy!"

At his words, the long tables filled to the brim with tempting, amorous food, and the students quickly filled their plates.

"So, Remus, how was your summer?" Alex inquired.

Remus shrugged. "As good as could be expected. I spent most of my time helping my mom out. The Healers still don't know what's wrong with her." It was a well known fact that Mrs. Lupin wasn't in her best health. In fact, Alex couldn't remember a time when she wasn't ill. And Remus always made a point to go visit every month without fail, no matter what was going on at school. She patted his arm sympathetically, as Remus looked down at his plate, turning red.

James and Sirius were involved in an intense debate over whether or not a Cheering Charm would have any effect on a flobberworm, while Lily listened in. "But WHY would you CARE?" She asked (and quite rightly so).

In response, James flung a bit of potatoes at her. "Mind your own business Evans," he said, before turning to roll his eyes at Sirius. This was not a smart move on his part. He soon was aware of a warm, sticky substance dripping down his hair and murking up his glasses.

Sirius caught some of it on his finger and tasted it. "Mmm, gravy. Nice one Evans."

James was less than pleased. "EVANS!" he roared, lunging across the table. Lily thought this an appropriate time to make her exit. "Remus, the first years?" Chuckling, he nodded at her. Lily and Remus collected the new first years and led them up to the Gryffindor tower, and let them in the common room, where most collapsed onto their new beds.

By the time that the feast was over, everyone's stomachs were considerably fuller than before, and too tired to do anything but grunt, point, and 'act like bloody trolls' as Sirius put it so kindly.

And after that, all anyone could do was drag themselves up to their respective dorms, where they slept soundly until they were awaken in the morning by a blood-curling scream.


	3. Things That Go BUMP In the Night

Lily rubbed her eyes, wondering vaguely why she had woken up. 'Oh, I must have rolled over onto my tail' she thought. Lily lay back down, ready to go back to sleep, when she sat straight up. 'Wait a minute. My TAIL!' "JAMES HAROLD POTTER!!!!!!!!!!!" Lily ran straight down to the common room, where, as she had guessed, James was waiting for her.

Lounging back in a chair by the dying fire, he lazily glanced up at her, a cocky smirk on his face. "Jeez, Evans. What took you so long? I've been waiting for you to realize the… changes since over an hour ago."

"Well, maybe I would have noticed if I routinely woke up to see if parts of my body were… were abnormally disfigured!" Needless to say, Lily was getting quite hysterical. "Wait a minute. Are these CLAWS!" She held up her hands. Well, they should have been hands. Instead, there were furred paws ending at her elbows with long, sharp nails extending at least two inches.

"Why, yes Evans, I believe they are," James said, his smirk deepening.

"What did you do, partially transfigure me into a CAT?!"

"Not just any cat. It's a lion, Evans. A lion. You know, our house mascot? I just thought we could all use a boost in our house spirit if we're going to beat Slytherin for the House Cup this year. I was unsure if the charm would work correctly though. You might have ended up with boils instead. But it seems to have turned out all right." He smirked at her, watching as the fur on her arm stiffened with anger.

"Oh, and I just happen to be the guinea pig? Why don't you use Sirius to test these spells on?"

"Because. What if the spell went wrong? YOU are a prefect, which means it's your duty to protect innocent students, who might have been harmed as the object of the spell."

"Then why not use Remus? HE is a prefect too."

"I can't very well prank a fellow Marauder, can I?"

Lily fumed. "Well, the spell worked. Now take it OFF ME!"

James squinted at her. "Actually, I rather like the effect. It's made you much more attractive than before. I'll just leave you like that."

Lily reached up, and before James could react, she slapped him across the face, leaving three deep cuts where the nails had hit him. "Oh no you won't!"

"And why not?" James challenged, holding a hand up to his cheek.

"Because, if you won't, I'll tell Professor McGonagall that you were in the girls dormitory. You had to have been close in order to cast the spell in the first place."

James sighed. "All right, all right. Have it your way." He muttered the counter- spell, and Lily instantly felt her nails retract and fur pull back into her skin.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed, Potter. Oh, and detention tomorrow night. I don't think I need to tell you why." She turned, and felt her eyes grow wide in shock. The rest of the house was piled on the foot of the dormitory steps, watching one of the famous Evans versus Potter displays. Lily glared at them. "What are all of you doing out of bed at this hour? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

It was Frank who answered for them all. "Well, I'm pretty sure it was because of that scream earlier. I came down to see what happened." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Well, you've all had your fun." Lily snapped. "Now get to bed before Professor McGonagall comes in to see what all this noise is about." She marched towards her dorm, the crowd parting to get out of her way like the Red Sea. Slowly, a trickle of students followed her, with the exception of the Marauders.

Sirius walked up to James, shaking his head slowly. "James, James, James. When will you ever learn?"

James frowned. "Learn what?"

Remus stepped up, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Really, James. I thought you would have known better by now."

James, starting to get annoyed, hissed, "Know WHAT?"

Peter walked up next to Sirius. "I honestly thought you wouldn't be this stupid. ANYONE would have seen the little flaw in your plans. Even I would have done better."

"WILL ONE OF YOU JUST TELL ME _WHAT_ I DID, BEFORE I START HEXING YOU?"

Sirius gripped James' shoulders. "Everyone knows of Evans's fondness for slapping you. So why, in Merlin's name, did you give her LONG, SHARP NAILS?"

James opened his mouth, looked confused, and shut it again. He grimaced, and let out a small "Oops."

Shaking their heads sadly, the Marauders led James back into their dorm room.

Author's Notes: I know my chapters have been short, but don't worry. They'll get longer and better.


	4. Threats

Lily sat next to Alex and Alice, eating breakfast while memorizing her schedule for the day. "Potions, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration. Potions, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration. Potions, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration." She muttered softly.

"Lily? Alice and I are heading back to the common room. I forgot my books. See you in Potions?" Alex said.

Her answer was a nod and "Herbology…"

"Er… right. See you then!" Alex backed away slowly, wondering how long it was going to be before Lily was shipped off to St. Mungos.

Lily hastily shoved sausage in her mouth, never taking her eyes off of her schedule. Until…

"So, Evans. Still here? I would have thought a smart girl like you would have turned in her wand by now." Lucious Malfoy stood over her shoulder, sneering at her.

"And why, pray tell, would I have done such a thing?" Lily responded, more curious than anything. After four years, Malfoy's insults had mostly lost their edge.

"Well, you _are_ a Mudblood. I just thought you would have realized your unworthiness and left the school."

"Actually Malfoy, I see no reason to do so. I think I am rather worthy of being a witch, especially since I know for a fact that I beat you in all of the exams last year. Perhaps YOU should leave."

Malfoy scowled. "You'd better watch your tongue. Don't ever speak to someone above your station like that. It'll just get you into trouble. But trouble will find you anyways. There are some smart people who will soon ensure that no scum like you will ever be able to be called a witch again."

Lily smirked. "You mean people like that nutter, Voldemort? He doesn't scare me."

"Have it your way. Just don't say that I didn't warn you. It's just a matter of ti-"

"Malfoy. What are YOU doing here? Shouldn't you be with the rest of your vile house?" James had appeared behind him, speaking in the unusually nasty voice he reserved for his favorite prank targets.

"Potter. Actually, I was just talking to the Mudblood. Though I'm not exactly sure why."

James' eyes narrowed, and he reached into his robes to take out his wand, when he felt someone grab his arm.

"Don't." Lily said. "He's not worth you getting another detention."

"That's right Potter." Malfoy sneered. "Listen to the Mudblood."

"Malfoy, shut your mouth or I'll do it for you!" James shouted.

"James! Stop!" Lily cried, struggling to keep her grip on his hand.

Malfoy looked from Lily to James and back again, then with a final sneer and a swish of his cloak, he strode over to the Slytherin table.

James had stopped moving, and his eyes were wide in shock.

"What now?" Lily sighed exasperatedly.

"You called me… James." He managed to stutter out. His eyes traveled to his hand that Lily was grasping.

Lily saw where he was gazing and quickly snatched her hand back. "Don't think much of it, Potter." She said, then turned and headed to Potions.

James still stood where she had left him. "Yeah, you don't think to much of it either, Evans," came the delayed (and not very original) response. But Lily had already left.

* * *

"Well, class, welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. Apparently you have all passed, but some were not as fortunate." Professor Slughorn said, his lips looking as though they were trying to hold back a gleeful smile as his eyes passed over the seat that was usually occupied by one of the Slytherins: Goyle. "Today we will be going over what I hope to accomplish this year, and I will expect a 9 inch summary on it by next Monday, one week from now. Can anyone tell me what we are going to be learning this year? Ah… yes. Miss Evans."

"Well, I'm not sure, but I thought I saw the Sleeping Drought and a mild Truth Potion in the book." Lily answered.

"Correct! 10 points to Gryffindor. Anyone else? No? Very well." Professor Slughorn turned and started writing a list of potions on the board. "Copy this down please."

The rest of the class passed by with a flurry of scratching quills until the bell rang.

* * *

James plopped down in one of the puffy chairs by the fireplace after dinner. "Well, no one can say that wasn't an interesting first day back, can they Sirius?"

Sirius chuckled. "No, they can't. Seeing Bellatrix and Narcissa arguing over who loved Slughorn more..." He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "Never thought my cousins had it in them."

Peter chuckled. "Not bad, not bad at all. Amazing what a simplified love potion can do."

They all turned expectantly to Remus. "Well, I must say… we have outdone ourselves. That was ingenious," he said.

"So, what should we do next? Have to keep the Marauder spirit alive." James proclaimed. The four boys bent over a piece of parchment, ready to jolt down ideas for pranks.

Remus sighed. "This is going to be an interesting year."


	5. Animal Night

The Marauders were huddled under James's Invisibility Cloak, heading towards the deserted classroom where they had been keeping one of their projects for over two years. Sirius had said it would be simple. Becoming Animagi. Yes, simple... they had to work on it for two years.

"Come on Peter, keep up!" James hissed. "You wouldn't want Filch to see a leg floating in midair, would you?"

"No," Peter squeaked, a bit too loudly.

"Peter, please keep your voice down. One of the ghosts could hear us." Remus said kindly.

Peter mumbled an apology, and pressed himself farther from the edge of the cloak and closer to the group. Unfortunately, this caused some discomfort.

"Peter, could you please remove your hand from my butt?" Sirius said icily.

Once again, Peter found himself squeaking out an apology, and moved to a less compromising position.

They soon arrived at the doorway to their 'lab,' as the Marauders liked to call it, and eased the creaking door open.

"Finally!" Sirius exclaimed, and flung off the cloak. "Sorry mate, but either your cloak is getting too small, or we're getting bigger."

"I think the problem is that we're getting bigger, Sirius." Remus said.

"Can we get on with it, or at least continue this discussion later? I want to see if this batch will work." James was crouched over a cauldron in the middle of the floor, and was busily stirring the contents with a big wooden ladle.

Remus scanned a book that was lying on the table. "I'm pretty sure we have it right this time. Just make sure you don't spill anything again, like before."

Peter flushed at the comment directed his way. "It wasn't my fault! Someone called my name and I turned and-"

"We know Peter, we know. No need to recall the unpleasant memory, is there?"

"Come on, let's do it! I'll go first this time." James ladled some of the watery liquid into his cup and pinched his nose. "Well, here goes nothing!"

Throwing back his head, he drank the potion in one large gulp. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, a blue light began to shine around him, steadily glowing brighter, until it was impossible for the remaining three Marauders to see what was happening. The light wrapped James in a tight cocoon. He was raised into the air, as brilliant beams of light burst out of his eyes, ears, mouth, fingers, toes, and every part of his body. The Marauders attempted to look on, exchanging looks of fascination and anxiety. The streams of light erupting from his fingers and toes combined into four, and there was one more explosion of light, then nothing. The Marauders searched the room, looking for their missing friend, when a stag suddenly landed in a heap on the floor at their feet. It rose shakily on four hooves, until it stood tall and proud.

However, the picture of pride and majesty seemed slightly ruined as James took a step forward, slipped, and landed on his snout.

"Smooth James, real smooth." Sirius muttered.

In another flash of blue light, a teenage boy appeared where the stag had lain, rubbing his nose. "Did you see that guys? Did you see that?" James asked, eyes shining and filled with excitement.

"That was awesome. Me next!" Sirius said.

Remus leaned over James, inspecting him for any signs of change. "Well, it seems to have worked. What was it like?"

"It was like… being hit with a thousand Cheering Charms, and every single part of you is aware of what's going on and you are just… alert like nothing you've ever experienced. I just felt so… alive."

"Enough with your rambling, mate. Let me have a go." Sirius grabbed another cup and poured the liquid down his throat.

Once again, the room was filled with brilliant blue light, and soon a big black dog was dropped at the feet of the Marauders. Sirius changed back hurriedly. "That was the best thing I've ever experienced! Come on Peter, it's your turn."

Peter took the potion with a little hesitation, and a rat was soon deposited on the floor. He changed back, a bit put out. "A rat? Why a rat?"

No one had an answer, so James cleared his throat. "Remus? It's your turn."

But Remus shook his head. "No thanks."

"Why not?" Sirius asked.

"When you guys change, I won't be able to, remember? Besides, I don't need ANOTHER animal's DNA running around in my bloodstream."

"Oh, yeah."

The uncomfortable silence was broken by Sirius. "Mates? An accomplishment such as this requires something special. What about… nicknames? James is easy. Prongs, due to those delightful little buggers on top of you head. Me, I'll be Padfoot because of, well, my padded feet. Peter's Wormtail, because his tail looks like a worm, and Remus… he's Moony, because… well, just because."

The three Marauders were now staring at Sirius in amazement.

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked meekly. As meek as Sirius can get, that is. "Don't you like them?"

Remus spoke for then all. "That was rather quick, that's all."

Sirius looked proud. "Well, I've been thinking of it since James almost stabbed us with his antlers."

James checked his watch. "Hey, people, I think we'd better be getting back. It's after two o'clock in the morning already."

Remus turned to go, paused, and turned back. He muttered a quick Vanishing Charm under his breath, causing the cauldron, cups, and remaining potion to disappear, and grabbed the Potions book.

James smiled. "Nice going, Re- I mean, Moony."

Sirius had already grabbed the cloak. "Come on, let's go! And this time, please keep your hands to yourselves. I may be incredibly sexy, but for the ladies only."

As he went under the cloak, James muttered. "In your dreams, Padfoot, in your dreams."


	6. Suprises

Alex sat on the couch by the fireplace, working on her Charms homework. She scowled as a shadow came over her parchment. "Oy, can you move? You're blocking my li- oh, hi Sirius!"

Sirius stood in front of her, frowning. "Since when do you do homework when you could be spending time with any boy of your choice, namely me? I thought- oh never mind. You're just turning into Lily."

He turned as if to leave.

"Sirius, wait!" Alex cried out, surprising herself.

"Yes?" Sirius asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Alex faltered. What exactly did she do that for? "I- I am not like Lily! In fact, er… can you help me with this essay? I can't remember the wand movement for the Baking Spell."

"Oh." Sirius said, looking disappointed. "Yeah, sure. No prob."

He sat down next to her, leaning towards the piece of parchment. He just sat there for a minute. "Um… Sirius? What are you doing? I thought you said you'd help me."

"I will. I'm just seeing what you have so far." Sirius sat up, nodding. "Well, the first thing you do is pull down the tip…"

Alex bent over her homework, writing as Sirius dictated. He leaned in closer to make sure she had it all. "I think you've got it." He said, satisfied. "Perfect."

Alex sat up again, ready to thank him. What she didn't know was that Sirius was bending over her, so as she straightened, her head hit him in the chin. "Oh! Sirius! I'm so sorry. Let me see that. Did I hurt you?" She ran her finger over his chin, checking for swelling.

"Not much." He was able to grunt out, very distracted by Alex touching her face. "It doesn't really hurt." He looked down at her.

Her face becoming flushed, she asked, "Are you sure? Do you need something to make it feel better?"

"Well," he said thoughtfully. "There is one thing." Leaning down, he did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her.

Alex was surprised at first, then gradually kissed him back. Somehow, they were now standing, and his arms were around her waist. Alex slipped her hands up behind his neck, oblivious to everything else.

* * *

Lily walked into her dorm, surprised to find that, of all people, Alex was reading a book on a Friday night. Taking a closer look, Lily could tell that Alex was not reading (the book was upside down), and her eyes were bright and cheeks flushed. "Alex?" she asked.

"Oh, Lily!" Alex exclaimed. "I just had the most magical thing happen. I was sitting in the common room, doing homework (here Lily snorted) Honest! And then Sirius came in and helped me, and then I accidentally hurt him, and when I was seeing if he was alright, he KISSED ME!" She stopped, out of breath. "Well?"

Lily smiled. "I'm happy for you. Really. But where is he now? Usually when you find your next boyfriend, we have to drag you away from him."

Alex frowned. "Well, he's not exactly my boyfriend. And the funny thing is, after a while, he asked what time it was, and when he saw the clock, he jumped a little, and ran out of the room. Maybe he doesn't like me. Do you think he doesn't like me?" she asked anxiously.

Lily laughed. "Of course he does! He's a male, after all, and their type just can't seem to leave you alone. He probably realized that he was late in playing some prank or another."

Alex smiled. "You're probably right. By the way, can you help me with my Transfiguration? I got… er… distracted."

Laughing, the two girls fetched their textbooks to do their homework by the light of the full moon.

* * *

Sirius ran down to the Great Hall, where James and Peter were waiting for him. "Padfoot! Where have you been?" James hissed.

Sirius smiled. "I was-"

Peter interrupted. "I think he means, you were you with?"

Sirius' smile widened. "Alex."

James' eyebrows lifted. "Really! Well, it's about time. You two are perfect for each other."

Sirius started to make a small noise, but James cut in. "Come on! Moony's probably waiting for us. The three Marauders slipped under the Invisibility Cloak and snuck off to the Whomping Willow, ready for a night of running around on the grounds.


	7. Banished and Lost

A week after what Alice had dubbed 'The Big Kiss', Professor Flitwick decided that it was time for a lesson on the Banishing Charm.

"Attention class! Today we will be reviewing the Banishing Charm. You will be Banishing these cushions," he said, indicating a large pile of plush red cushions, "into these boxes. Begin."

A few minutes after they started, Alice turned to Alex, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So, Alex. What's it like kissing Sirius, or 'God's gift to girls', as he likes to put it."

Alex shook her head. "Uh- uh. I don't kiss and tell."

Lily smirked. "Oh really! I distinctly remember you raving about Amos Diggory and how 'magical' it was. Since when do you not kiss and tell?"

Alex blushed. "Well, since… since now, with Sirius."

Alice raised her eyebrows over Alex's head at Lily. "It finally seems as if someone has tamed our little Alex. I just never thought it would be Sirius."

If possible, Alex blushed even deeper and pointedly turned her attention to the cushion and Banished it perfectly… into someone else's box.

Sirius and James were working together in Charms class, since Remus was in the Hospital Wing (for obvious reasons) and Peter was out with the flu, which he caught overnight in the cold air.

James had been listening in on this particular conversation between the three Gryffindor girls, and saw a vein twitch in Sirius' neck. "Amos Diggory?" Sirius muttered, his eyes burning. "Never liked him. Not a bit."

"Sirius! Keep it down!" James hissed. He focused in on the girls just in time to hear: "-since now, with Sirius."

Upon hearing this, Sirius got a goofy smile on his face. It fell down noticeably when he saw James looking at him. "Looks like yet another girl has fallen for the wiles of Sirius Black." He said gruffly.

"More like another boy fell for Alex Suerte's famous charm." James teased.

Sirius' face flushed and performed the exact same mistake as Alex did, but James swore he could detect a slight hint of the goofy smile still on his face even as the cushion soared straight into Professor Flitwick.

"Mr. Black!" He exclaimed.

Just then, the bell rang. Sirius rushed towards the door, trying to get out before-

"Oh, no you don't, Mr. Black. You stay behind and help me pick up these cushions!"

Sirius groaned and turned around. James sniggered. Unfortunately for him, Flitwick saw this.

"Mr. Potter! Perhaps you would like to help Mr. Black?"

"Do I have a choice?" James asked. Flitwick's glare was all the answer he needed.

Sighing, he began to pick up cushions alongside Sirius as the last students filed out of the room.

Lily, Alice, and Alex were among the last ones to leave the Charms classroom.

"So, Alex, how are you and Sirius doing lately?" Alice teased.

Alex blushed yet again. "Well, he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him."

"What did you say?" Lily inquired.

"What do you think?" Alex said.

Alice sighed. "Really Alex. You should have given the poor boy a chance and said yes."

"I did!" Alex protested, but was somewhat drowned out by the other girls' giggles. "Oh, honestly. You two are impossible."

Lily was the first one to recover. "Hey, where did everybody go?" Strangely enough, no one else was in the corridor.

Alice stopped laughing abruptly. "Yeah, that's strange, no one's here. Did we take a wrong turn?"

"We might have, but then where are we?" Alex frowned.

"I don't know." Lily was starting to get worried. She'd heard stories about students who got lost in the mysterious and ever-changing passages of the old school, and most didn't end well. "Maybe we should retrace our steps."

The other girls nodded, and turned uneasily to face the direction that they came from, when they let out a sigh of relief. There were other students coming towards them. But that relief was short-lived.

Lily inwardly gulped.

Slytherins.


	8. Confrontation

"Why, it's the Mudblood and muggle lovers."

Lily's eyes narrowed. She would recognize that voice anywhere. "Bellatrix."

And Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, Narcissa Black, and Rodolphus Lestrange.

Alex and Alice whipped out their wands, and Lily did the same.

Malfoy smirked. "Oh look, the Mudblood thinks she can fight us with her muggle loving friends by her side."

Lily could see the vein in Alex's temple twitch, and placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Don't hex them," she whispered. "Just wait. I doubt if they'll actually do anything- don't forget that we're still in school."

"-and he will purify our world!" Lestrange finished. Apparently he had been giving an 'inspirational speech' to his fellows housemates.

"That muggle- loving fool Dumbledore won't stand a chance against the full power of the Dark Lord." Narcissa sneered. "And when he does, the world will be cleansed of Mudbloods and riffraff like the Suertes and Vivirs."

Lily felt Alex tense beside her, and saw her wand whip up into fighting stance. She was about to stop the curse that was sure to come next, when someone barged in on the scene.

* * *

James and Sirius had been heading to the Slytherin common room with the intention of playing a prank after they had finished helping Professor Flitwick, when they heard voices coming from a nearby corridor.

They hid behind a statue and listened to the scene unfolding before them, Sirius getting angrier at each comment. When Narcissa mentioned the Mudbloods, he muttered to James, "Come on Prongs. I can't just sit here. Let's go."

Nodding, James stood up and hurried after Sirius towards the confrontation.

"Bellatrix, Narcissa." Sirius hissed angrily as he stepped up beside Alex. "You two trying to get over 'the sweet and adorable' Sughorn by hanging out with these gits?" he asked, quoting their earlier speech.

Narcissa turned red. "We know it was you two that made us… do that. There's no use in denying it."

James spoke up. "Why would we want to? We take pride in bringing down scum like yourselves who think they're better than everyone else."

Bellatrix snarled. "At least we're not blood traitors."

"If being a blood traitor means standing up for what is right, then I'm proud to be one." James snarled.

"Fine then. Have it your way. You'll be next, after we take care of this filth." Snape scowled, indicating the girls.

Sirius and James stepped up in front of the girls (much to the annoyance of Alex, who clearly was ready to hex someone). "Or, why don't you leave before we hex you into oblivion. You're outnumbered."

Rodolphus sniggered. "Merlin, you really are stupid. Can't you count? There's five of us and five of you."

Sirius smirked back. "I meant in talent."

Malfoy let out an angry growl, and stepped forward. Just then, Professor Milles, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, walked by. "Girls, boys, what's going on here? No trouble, I hope."

She was met with a stony silence.

"Nothing's going on Professor. We were just… talking." Lily piped up.

Professor Milles smiled. "Ah, of course. Perhaps the Slytherins should come with me to their common room before you can… talk some more. I suggest you Gryffindors do the same."

With a chorus of 'Yes Professors' and the sweep of her cloak, Professor Milles led the scowling Slytherins down the corridor.

Lily promptly rounded on James. "What do you think you are playing at Potter? Don't you think that we could have handled them on our own?"

"Lily- I- Well- Sirius-" James stuttered. "I thought you needed help!"

"I can help myself, Potter. Just leave me alone. Come on Alice, I think we'd better leave, and I don't know if Alex will want us here."

Alex blushed furiously at Lily's last comment, but didn't raise any objections to being left alone with Sirius.

Lily and Alice walked out of the corridor the way they had come, leaving the boys and Alex behind. Once they were out of earshot, Alice turned to Lily.

"Lily, we'd be careful, okay." Her eyes, normally calm and pleasant, were now serious and worried.

"Of who?" Lily inquired. "Potter?"

"No! Of the Slytherins, especially Bellatrix. That girl doesn't make idle threats."

"Scared of them?" Lily snorted. "They don't-"

"I know they don't scare you. But they scare me. Bellatrix seems to have it in for you, and that girl means business."

"Okay, fine." Lily sighed. "I'll be more careful. But only if you stop worrying."

"Thanks Lily."

"No problem."

A few moments passed in silence, until Lily giggled.

"What do you think Alex and Sirius are doing right now?" And with that, both girls broke into hysterics, the tense moments forgotten.

* * *

Sirius cleared his throat, then coughed impatiently. James continued to look angrily in the direction the girls had left, not taking the hint. "What is bloody wrong with that girl? I swear, something is _not_ right in her head..."

Finally, Sirius said, "Prongs, you mind? We would really like to be alone."

James seemed to snap out of his thoughts and looked, startled, at Alice. "Oh right." He smirked. "I'll leave you two here, shall I?"

He sped down the corridor, much to Alex's amusement.

Sirius turned to her. "Now, where did we leave off last night?"

Preferring to answer with actions, Alex closed her eyes as she brought her lips up to meet Sirius'.


	9. Silent Agreement

The teachers started piling homework on their fifth year students, trying to prepare them for the OWLS. The common rooms had all transformed from social gathering places to study areas. Even Sirius and James could be seen in the library, which was very rare indeed (however, Madam Pince kept her watchful eye on them at all times- they were Marauders, after all). The boys were even paying attention in class. Well, most of the time.

"Prongs! Wake up!" Sirius whispered. "Milles is sending you death glares."

"Hu- wha- what's going on?" James asked, startled, as he lifted his head from where it had been resting on his hand.

"You fell asleep mate, and how know Milles said this stuff is going to be on the exams. We're going to practice the new spells in about ten minutes, so you'd better stay awake!"

"Oh… right." James murmured, pretending to yawn. He didn't dare to tell Sirius the truth. If Sirius found out, he would mock James to no end. The truth was, in fact, that he had been staring at Evans. He didn't know why, but lately his eyes always seemed to be drawn into her direction. He had noticed new things about her, like how she twirled her crimson hair around her fingers as she thought. How she bit at the end of her quill when she was working on her essays. And how her eyes automatically narrowed in his presence.

James gave an involuntary sigh at that thought. Why did she hate him so much? He wasn't that bad of a guy. Sure, there are the pranks and the teasing, but he was really quite decent under all that. Could she ever let him close enough for her to see that? Wait… was he starting to fancy EVANS?! 'No, that's not it,' he reassured himself. 'It's just… hormones. Yeah, that's right. Hormones.'

He turned his attention back to taking notes. 'That's a logical answer. Lily would be- NO- it's EVANS!' He caught himself, and firmly repeated to himself, 'It's a logical answer.'

After all, there was no way he could fancy EVANS. He HATED her. And he always will.

* * *

Bellatrix pounded a fist on the common room table. "We CAN'T let them just get away with this!" she shouted at the gathered Slytherins.

Rodolphus stood up, glaring at everyone seated in the dim room. "She's right. We are SLYTHERINS! We don't let cowardly Gryffindors get the better of us like this!"

"Um… don't you think you're taking this a little too hard?" Narcissa timidly suggested.

"A little too hard? A LITTLE TOO HARD? Look at yourself!" Malfoy shouted. He was so angry, his face was starting to turn red. Or maybe it was just because of the most recent prank the Marauders had pulled. Each and every Slytherin had either a red or gold face, and the opposite color hair. Their robes either shouted support for the Gryffindors in the upcoming Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, or had rather… obscene suggestions written on them.

Narcissa looked down bashfully, before whispering, "I guess you're right. But what should we do?"

Snape chose this moment to speak up from the back of the room, where he was leaning against one of the cold stone walls. "Nothing."

The others looked at him in shock.

"At least, not yet." He continued. "The OWLs are coming up soon, and I for one want to have enough time and concentration to study. We wait, and we make it big. I suggest we don't even plan it out, lest our plans be discovered. A spur of the moment prank or attack will leave them dumbfounded and humiliated."

Following Snape's speech, Rodolphus slowly nodded. "That just may work. I like the way you think, Severus. But I vote that what we do will not be directed at the Marauders, at least, not at first. They have humiliated us for years. One prank on them is not enough. We first need to target their friends and such. I propose we start with the Mudbloods and blood traitors. They deserve it more, anyway. Agreed?"

He was answered by a chorus of 'Yes's and nods.

Bellatrix, catching on, smirked. "Right then. So we will have no written plan, just a common goal? To humiliate and cause pain to the Marauders and Mudbloods?"

Everyone present nodded.

"Okay then." Malfoy announced. "Meeting adjourned."

The Slytherins slipped back to their dorms keeping to the shadows, as was the Slytherin way, while satisfying visions of enemies begging for mercy played through their mind.


	10. Exams

Lily was bent over her notes, studying as hard as she could for the OWLs tomorrow. She looked up and frowned at the other corner of the common room, where the Marauders were huddled and whispering over a piece of parchment. 'How charming. They're probably planning some prank. If they interrupt my studying I swear I will rip Potter's head right off his shoulders,' she thought.

"I can't STAND it anymore!" Sirius burst out.

James quickly shushed him. "Keep it down Sirius." He hissed. "Some people are trying to study."

"That's exactly my point!" Sirius stressed. "Everyone's so wrapped up in studying, of all things." He let out 'studying' as if it were a curse. "It's getting so boring around here. We have to DO something. A prank! That's it. People are starting to wonder if the Marauders have given up on pranking."

James' eyes flashed. "Never! Sirius is, for once, right. We can't let years of building up our good reputation go to waste."

Peter's eyes widened in thought. "But what should we do?"

Remus shook his head. "Nothing, until after the exams. Everyone needs to study, and I'm not so sure Lily would be to pleased with us if we disrupted her."

He noted with interest that James' eyes widened slightly. Sirius didn't miss it either.

"Prongs! Don't tell me you fancy Evans!"

James started to shake his head. "No… I- I don't."

Sirius smiled. "Denial."

"It's not denial! It's EVANS! I bloody hate her!"

"Ask her to go out with you, after the exams." Sirius suggested, ignoring him.

"Are you joking? She hates me, remember? And I don't fancy her anyway." James muttered.

"So? You're James Potter! She'll say yes. Who wouldn't?" Peter supplied, still staring at his notes.

"You'll never know unless you try." Remus said, then picked up a nearby book and started studying.

* * *

The day of the exams seemed to fly by. James and Sirius were expressing their confidence in passing Potions with flying colors at every chance they got. Remus was equally sure of himself, but was too modest to say anything. Peter, however, was just as sure that he failed. He could be heard moaning about forgetting the ingredients used in a Forgetfulness Potion.

"Just forget about it Peter." James finally said, irritated.

Peter groaned again.

Remus grimaced. "I think that was the wrong word to use, Prongs."

Sirius said, "Relax, we only have three more exams. Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against Dark Arts."

* * *

James picked his exam up and looked it over before starting on the first question. 'Please note the incantation and wand movement for the Disarming Spell.' He grinned. This was going to be easy.

"Five more minutes!" Professor Flitwick yelled. James set down his quill and started to reread what he had written to make sure he didn't miss a question. He set his parchment down, satisfied, and yawned. He rumpled up his hair and made sure Flitwick wasn't watching him. Grinning, he turned to Sirius, who was lounging back in his chair on two legs. Sirius gave James a thumbs-up.

James turned his attention to a piece of scrap parchment and started doodling a Snitch. On an impulse, he traced Lily's initials inside of it.

"Quills down please!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio!_"

All of the parchment flew to Flitwick's arms, knocking him over backwards. Some students sitting in the front row took pity on the poor man and helped him to his feet.

"Thank you… thank you," he panted. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

James hurriedly scribbled out the initials in the Snitch, lest anyone see them, jumped to his feet, stuffed his quill and exam question paper into his bag, which he slung over his back, and stood waiting for Sirius to join him.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged from the entrance hall.

"Loved it," Remus answered briskly. " 'Give five signs that identify a werewolf.' Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" James asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Think I did," Remus said seriously as they joined the leaving crowd of anxious students. "One: He's sitting in my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin…"

Everyone laughed but Peter.

"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," he said anxiously. "but I couldn't think of what else-"

"How thick are you, Wormtail?" James impatiently asked. "You run around with a werewolf once a month-"

"Keep your voice down." Remus chided.

"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake." Sirius said. "I'll be surprised if I don't get an Outstanding on it at least."

"Me too." James said. He brought out the Golden Snitch he had hidden in his pocket.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Nicked it." James started playing cat and mouse with the Snitch, letting it get further away each time before he caught it. The rest of the Marauders threw themselves into the shade of a beech tree. Remus immediately pulled out a book and began reading, Sirius began people watching, Peter kept watching James and applauding, and James kept playing with the Snitch, rumpling his hair, and looking over at Lily.

"Put that away, will you?" Sirius asked, irritated. "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement."

Peter started blushing, but James only grinned.

"If it bothers you." James replied, and stuffed the Snitch back into his pocket.

"I'm bored." Said Sirius. "Wish it were a full moon."

"You might." Remus said darkly. "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you can test me… Here." He held out his book to Sirius.

Sirius snorted. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," James said quietly. "Look who it is…"

Sirius turned and stood very still, like the dog that he could sometimes be.

"Excellent," he said softly. "_Snivellus._"

Snape was heading back into the Great Hall, and James and Sirius stood up. Remus still stared at his book, though it was obvious that he was not reading it. Peter was looking back and forth between James and Sirius to Snape, greatly anticipating what was going to happen next.

"All right, Snivellus?" James said loudly.

Snape reacted fast enough to give the impression that he had been expecting an attack. He threw down his bag and plunged his hand inside his robes to pull out his wand.

James looked on with something that could be called amusement.

* * *

A/N: ok, I realize this is from the book. Which is exactly why I have it. I'm trying to keep this fic as canon as possible, and we know FOR A FACT that this happened. I just added more of what was going through their heads and the motives behind their actions. If it bothers you, skip it. You'll catch up later on.


	11. To Make a Redhead See Red

Snape's wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_"

Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud into the grass behind him. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"_Impedimenta!_" he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet after trying a dive towards his fallen wand.

Students stopped what they were doing, whether it be talking or studying, and turned to watch. Some were trying to get closer to the commotion. Some were apprehensive, others were entertained.

Snape lay breathing heavily on the grass. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands ready to let out more hexes and humiliation. James glanced over his shoulder as he went, trying to see if Lily was watching him from over by the lake. He hoped she was, because that would mean she was WATCHING him, but she also might get a little angry. Maybe a little bit more than that.

Peter climbed to his feet, and was watching with vivid anticipation and excitement as he edged his way around Remus.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" said James.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment. There'll be grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word." Sirius said viciously.

Several of the people watching laughed: none of them liked Snape very much. Peter sniggered shrilly. Snape was struggling against the still- operating jinx, trying to stand up, but kept falling back to the ground as if bound by invisible ropes.

"You- wait," he panted, glaring at James with utmost loathing etched across his face. "You- wait."

"Wait for what?" Sirius said coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

Snape let out a tumble of swear words and hexes, but his wand was to far away for anything to happen.

"Wash out your mouth," James said coldly. "_Scourgify!_"

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth immediately, the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him-

* * *

Lily sat by the lake with Alice and Alex, dipping her toes in the refreshingly cool lake. "So, how do you guys think you did on the Charms OWLs?"

Alex groaned. "Don't remind me. I was doing fine until, well, we started."

Alice giggled. "Did you remember the Baking Spell?" She teased.

Alex smiled blissfully. "How could I- hey! What do you mean?"

Lily said, "Well, as I remember, at the time you were learning the spell- argh!"

Alex had tackled her to the ground and was covering up her mouth. "Not another word. Merlin, you guys are impossible. Just wait until you have boyfriends, I'll have so much fun torturing you. Wait till you see what it's like." She let go of Lily, who stood up and surveyed the grounds.

"How come everyone's just standing around?" She wondered out loud. A faint cry of _'Impedimenta'_ and peals of laughter reached her ears. Lily frowned. "I'd know that voice anywhere; I've heard James yelling at me too many times not to. I'll bet you my bottom Galleon he's torturing some poor Slytherin." She slipped on her shoes and started jogging over to the gathering of students.

"Lily, where are you going?" Alex cried after her.

"I've got to stop him; I'm a prefect." She yelled over her shoulder. Lily forced her way through the mob of students surrounding the spectacle. Snape was on the ground, gagging. "That Potter." She hissed under her breath. "Leave him ALONE!"

James and Sirius turned around, and James's free hand automatically jumped to his hair.

"All right, Evans?" said James.

Lily furrowed her brow. His voice was deeper, more mature than it usually was. She pushed the thought aside. "Leave him alone," she repeated. She glared at James with as much dislike as possible. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, pretending to deliberate the answer. "It's more the fact that he _exists_, if you know what I mean." Sirius and Peter laughed along with most of the surrounding spectators, not including Remus and Lily.

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him _alone_."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly. "Go on… Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.

Lily was taken aback. _Potter!?_ Her sworn enemy asked her _out!?_ Was this some new way to humiliate her? Out of the corner of her eye, Lily could see Snape beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out pink soap suds as he crawled. Apparently, the Impediment Jinx was beginning to wear off.

Lily finally said, "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid."

James was devastated. He had followed Sirius's advice and asked Lily out, but she said no. _No_. For the first time in his life, a girl had rejected James Potter.

Sirius, evidently not noticing how James was feeling, said briskly while turning to Snape, "Bad luck, Prongs. OY!"

Snape had reached his wand and had it directed straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, splattering his robes with blood. James whirled around; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of graying underpants.

Some people in the crowd cheered, while the three participating Marauders roared with laughter.

Lily's furious expression twitched for an instant as though she were holding back a smile, and said, "Let him down."

"Certainly," James said and he jerked his wand upward. Snape fell in a crumpled heap on the ground. He disentangled himself from his robes and quickly got to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, "_Locomotor mortis!_" and Snape keeled over once again, rigid as a board.

Lily was disgusted in the way that the Marauders continued to publicly humiliate Snape. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She shouted. She grabbed her own wand out from her robes, and James and Sirius were eying it warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James more earnest than usual.

Lily snorted to herself. '_As if he could hex me. I'm not the best in Charms for nothing!_' "Take the curse off him then!"

James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the countercurse. "There you go," he said as Snape scrambled to his feet once more. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Snape shouted.

Lily was stung. She had gone out of her way to help him, and Snape insulted her. "Fine," she said coolly. "I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_."

James's tolerance with Snape had reached the breaking point. Being the kind, sympathetic person she was, Lily had helped someone the rest of the school despised, and Snape had said the most insulting word he knew to her. "Apologize to Evans!" He roared at the offender, raising his wand threateningly.

To his surprise, Evans appeared to be mad at him, not Snape. "I don't want _you _to make him apologize," she shouted. "You're as bad as he is…"

James was shocked. As bad as a future Death Eater?! Him!? "What?" He yelped. "I'd never call you a… you- know what!" he tried to explain to her how wrong she was to be mad at him. He was just trying to help.

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can- I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK."

James tried to convince himself that she wasn't yelling at him, or that it hadn't happened, but it wasn't working.

She swiftly turned on her heel and hurried away.

"Evans!" James shouted after her, "Hey, EVANS!"

But she didn't look back.

"What is it with her?" James asked, desperate to look as though this was a throwaway question and he didn't really care what the answer was. But he really did.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate." Said Sirius.

"Right," James said, now furious. "Right-" He was angry, angry at Lily, at Snape, and at himself. He WOULD get her to like him.

There was another flash of light, and Snape was once again hanging upside down in the air.

"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"

At this moment, Remus put down his book and walked over to James. "Do you really like Lily?" He asked.

"Of course. That's what I said." James answered, confused.

"Then I don't really think hexing and utterly humiliating the person she told you to lay off on is going to help her like you back."

"Oh, right," James said. "But, I mean, can't I at least-"

"What do you think?" Remus said exasperatedly.

Sirius moaned. "But look at him… He's a sitting duck. We can't do anything because James has a little crush?"

Remus raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't think Alex would be too happy with you either."

Sirius's eyes widened. "The last thing I want is Alex giving me grief. Have you seen her when she's mad?" He shuddered. "Merlin help anyone who falls into her bad graces."

Lily stalked up to the castle, forgetting about her friends by the lake. 'POTTER! He is so INFURIATING! When will he leave me ALONE! And REMUS! He's a prefect, and he doesn't even have the guts to stand up to his friends! How dare he just sit there. And SNAPE! I help him, and he INSULTS me! This school is full of SELF-ABSORBED, CONCEITED, HATEFUL **JERKS**!'

Needless to say, by the time she reached the castle, she was seeing red. Peeves, the unfortunate fellow, was attempting to set up a bucket full of water above a door.

"PEEVES! Stop that IMMEDIATELY! Even YOU should know better than to do something like that during TESTING!"

Peeves grinned at her. "Looks like the little redhead's temper is catching up to her. Ohhh… I'm so SCARED!"

Lily fumed. She saw a broken tip of a quill lying on the ground. "_Waddiwasi!_" The tip flew up from the ground and (painfully) wedged itself in Peeves's right nostril. "DON'T mess with me." She stormed away, leaving behind a shocked and moaning poltergeist.

A corridor away, a voice stopped her in her tracks. "That's a nice trick. Could you teach me?"


	12. Forgive me?

Lily turned around and found herself face to face with Remus. Her eyes narrowed as she recalled what he had done (or rather, hadn't done, she thought). As she opened her mouth to shout some more, she was cut off by Remus.

"Look, Lily. I just want you to know that I… I'm sorry for not helping you out by the lake just then." His words came out in a long, rushed stream. "I know I probably should have, and I know I should have stood up to my friends, and I'm really, really sorry. Can you forgive me?" He looked at her with hopeful eyes.

Lily stared at him, not angrily, but contemplating. Those eyes were too hard to resist, but her anger was still there. Finally, she decided to just be honest with him. "Look, Remus. I'm glad that you apologized, but…" She hesitated. Remus's eyes were considerably more downcast than they had been. "Maybe we should talk about this later. I'm still a little angry."

"Maybe at Hogsmeade? Tomorrow, after the Quidditch Cup."

Lily gave him a small smile. "That could work. I'll see you then. Meet me at the Three Broomsticks."

As she was walking away, Remus called after her, "When we're done talking, you still have to teach me that spell. It was bloody brilliant!"

* * *

Alex's normally lively eyes were narrowed, and her arms were crossed. She held the boy in front of her in a scrutinizing gaze, who cowered before her in fear. "Lily tells me you were helping to torture Snape this afternoon. Is this true?"

The boy cringed. "Yes," he let out in a barely audible whisper.

Alex's eyes took on a look of disapproval. "I see. What do you have to say for yourself, Black?"

Sirius shrunk back even further at the use of the name of the family he despised, especially coming from the mouth of someone he lo… liked. "I'm really, really sorry. I'll never, ever-" His face turned white at the thought of completing the sentence.

Alex sighed and rubbed her temples. "Don't even bother. You could never keep a promise like that."

Sirius grinned a little, and then looked up at her hopefully. "So… am I forgiven?"

She said quietly, "I don't know-" Alex made the mistake of looking at him. "Sirius! Stop that!"

Sirius frowned, confused. "Stop what?"

"Looking at me like that. I swear, you have the cutest puppy-dog face of anyone I know."

Sirius grinned deeply. "There is a reason for that." His eyes widened slightly at the realization of what he had just said.

"Such as what?" Alex asked curiously.

Thinking fast, Sirius replied, "How else would I get a perfect girlfriend to forgive her very, very sorry boyfriend? Am I forgiven?" He gave her a little pout and stuck out his bottom lip.

"Argh! Sirius! Stop it!" Alex buried her face in her hands. "Don't LOOK at me like that!"

"Like what?" Sirius asked, pulling her hands away from her face and holding them off to the her sides. "Like this?" He gave her the most puppyish face he could muster.

"Sirius…" Alex moaned, exasperated, though not as loudly as before.

"Come on, you know you can't resist it." He murmured, not really talking about his expression anymore. He leaned forwards, as she reached out to meet him. Their kiss was gentle at first, then deepened, until neither of their lungs could take it anymore. "So am I forgiven?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Alex answered, smiling slightly. "You're forgiven."

Simultaneously, they leaned in for more.

* * *

Lily sat in the stands of the Quidditch Pitch, next to Alice and Remus. Frank, she was amused to see, had somehow worked his way to the middle of the Gryffindor section, where they were sitting, to sit by Alice.

"LET'S… PLAY… QUIDDITCH!" The announcer, Bertha Jorkins, shouted. "OUT THE SLYTHERIN END, COMES NOTT, AVERY, MALFOY, MACNAIR, CRABBE, GOYLE, AND… LESTRANGE." With slightly more enthusiasm, she read off, "AND HERE COME THE GRYFFINDORS! BELL, WOOD, BLACK, SANDERS, SHAW, AND… POTTER! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T CATCH THE LITTLE EPISODE YESTERDAY, POTTER AND- OH ALL RIGHT PROFESSOR. FINE. GRYFFINDORS IN POSITION."

To Lily, who had never really taken to Quidditch, the game seemed to drag on. Her intolerance for the sport had only increased since Potter had joined the team in their second year. There were quite a few 'ooohhhs' and 'aaahhhs' emitting from the crowd, who obviously enjoyed it more than her. Instead, Lily found her thoughts turning towards home. She loved Hogwarts, but it would be wonderful to see her family again. Actually, it would be wonderful to see her parents again. Petunia had never seemed quite taken with the idea of witchcraft and wizardry, causing their relationship to grow more rifts than it already had.

She was, literally, shaken from her thoughts and back into the game as Alice clutched her arm.

"Lily, look! Ja-" Alice seemed to realize who she was speaking to. "POTTER's diving! He sees the Snitch!"

Indeed, James was hurtling towards the ground with Lestrange on his tail. Sirius was chasing and hitting the Bludgers towards the Slytherin Seeker, but Lestrange dodged them. It seemed his efforts were uncalled for, however, as James soon pulled out of the dive with his fist held above his head.

Three quarters of the stadium burst out into cheers and applause, and Dumbledore could be seen nodding his head in approval. It was no secret that Dumbledore had been a Gryffindor himself.

Lily turned to leave to avoid the crowd, when Remus grabbed her arm. "Three Broomsticks, don't forget!" he shouted with a smile. Lily nodded back and made her way to the stairs, hoping to leave all thoughts of her unpleasant sister behind her.


	13. Party Time!

The normally peaceful and comforting Gryffindor common room had been radically transformed. It was now the center of one of the wildest parties the Marauders had ever seen, which was saying something, as the Marauders had been to a fair number of parties.

In spite of all this, Lily was upstairs, changing out of her Hogwarts robes, and getting ready for the Hogsmeade trip. Alice, who wasn't much of a party animal, was lying on her stomach on her bed. "Where are you going?"

"Hogsmeade, where else?" Lily answered, applying eye shadow.

"Even though no one in our house is going to be there? Who are you going with?"

"Remus."

"REMUS? I didn't know you liked him."

"I don't. He wanted to talk to me about the… incident yesterday. We're meeting at the Three Broomsticks."

"Oh. Well, have a good time. Get me some candy from Honeyduke's."

"Will do. Bye!"

Lily went down the stairs, following the loud music and sweet smells wafting up from the common room.

"So there I was, looking around for the Snitch, when a Bludger comes hurtling out of nowhere right at my face! I ducked JUST in time to avoid having my nose bashed into my head. Then I hear the announcer say that Slytherin scored AGAIN (the bloody bastards) so I knew it was up to me to save the game. Just then, I saw the Snitch on the other end of the pitch, at the exact same time as Lestrange. Of course, he HAPPENS to be closer than me, but I managed to get ahead of him. Then-" James was retelling the events of the Quidditch match, obviously from his point of view, when he spotted Lily coming down the girls' dormitory steps. "Hey, guys? I'll be right back. I need to… get a drink."

He made his way to where Lily was heading, and stepped in front of the portrait hole.

"Potter. Can you please, er, move?" Lily was getting irritated, as often happened when she was around James.

"Just where do you think you're going, Evans? The party is in the other direction."

"That would be a really great and obvious thing to know, Potter, if I was actually planning on going to the party. Since I'm not, it would help a great deal if you would just MOVE!"

James frowned in thought. "If you're not going to the party, then where are you going?"

"Hogsmeade, not that it's any of your business." Lily replied stiffly.

"All by yourself?"

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Okay, three things I have to say to you. Number one, are you implying that I am not capable of looking out for myself? And number two, it's not like Hogsmeade is a dangerous place anyway, and number three, I will not be by myself."

"Oh." James seemed to be taken back by the multitude of information Lily had somewhat willingly supplied for him. In his momentary digestive state, Lily stalked past him. Out of pure reflex, James held the door shut tight. "So, who are you going with?"

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Remus, if you must know."

"Remus!- but- he- I- what- why- how-" James sputtered angrily. "You mean- you and him?"

"We have to talk, not that it's any of your business anyway. So I'd better get going. Now, if you'd excuse me-" Lily pushed past him and ran down the corridor, hoping she wasn't late for her appointment, leaving behind a fuming James Potter.


	14. Hogsmeade

James stared at the portrait door in shock. Lily was going to Hogsmeade with Remus! He had obviously tuned out after the words '_Remus, if you must know.' _

'Lily with Remus. Remus with Lily.' James started to work himself into a frenzy. 'Lily and Remus together. Lily **_Lupin_**!' He finally came to the conclusion that something was wrong with this picture and he had to do something about it. His mind made up, James flew himself up the girls' dormitory stairs, thinking 'Alice will know where Lily is. She HAS to. I have to stop them from getting together, or else I'll be the laughingstock of the school. Asking Lily out, then having her going out with one of my best friends!'

He sprinted up the stairs, hoping to get there before-

WHOOSH! The stairs folded in on themselves, and James went tumbling down the stairs. He fell in a heap at the bottom, cursing his bad luck. Now he would never get to talk to Alice. Fortunately for him, the stairs had caused such a racket that Alice had come out to see what the problem was. She slid gracefully down the stairs and asked, "All right, which of you boys tried to get into the girls' dormitory?"

Sheepishly, James raised his hand. "I had to talk to you, in private." He grabbed her wrist and started to pull her towards a secluded corner of the common room, when a shadow fell across his feet. Looking up, he saw Frank's face twisted into a scowl. "Don't worry mate, I'm not going to snog her, I'm just going to ask her a question."

Embarrassed, Frank looked over at Alice, who nodded at him. Reluctantly, he stepped out of their way.

Once the two were in a secluded spot, James whispered casually, "So where's Lily? I haven't seen her all night."

Alice rolled her eyes. "I can't believe it. I actually thought you were going to ask me a serious question. I should have known better."

James whispered with a little more urgency, "It IS important."

Alice laughed a little. "Why? It's not like she's doing anything bad. She's just meeting Remus at the Three Broomsticks." She gasped and put her hands to her mouth. "I don't think Lily would have wanted me to tell you that."

James grinned and went towards the portrait hole.

"Hey, where are you going?" Alice called after him.

"I suddenly got a craving for some butterbeer."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Oh, great! So you're going to Hogsmeade! Can you pick me up some candy from Honeydukes while you're there?"

But James was already gone.

Lily pushed her way through the crowd at the door to the Three Broomsticks and spotted Remus sitting in one of the back corners. She worked her way over to him. She set her bag down and plopped down on to the chair next to him.

"You're late," he accused.

Lily smiled. "Actually, I'm not. We never actually decided on a meeting time, just the place and day. Remember?"

"Yeah, I guess you are right, for once."

Lily fake scowled at him. "I thought I always was."

Remus chuckled, and then his face became serious. "Well, as amusing as this all is, we came here specifically to resolve one thing. Remember?"

Lily winced. "I hate it when you throw my words back at me. But yes, we did come here to work out a little problem, didn't we?"

"Yeah, and before you say anything, I just want you to know that I'm sorry, as I said before. It's just that- you don't have any idea as to how much the friendship James, Sirius, Peter, and I have means to me. I just-" He hesitated a little. "I know it may sound corny and all, but I can't lose that."

Lily's face softened. "I guess I know what you mean. I don't know how I'd feel if I lost Alex or Alice, or both." She shuddered slightly, and then smirked. "Though it is beyond me as to how any kind of relationship- especially a friendship! - with James I-am-so-great-everyone-loves-me Potter could mean anything special to anyone!"

Remus smiled and laughed. "Sure, James has his faults- he gets INSANELY jealous, has a terrible temper, and yes, he can be a bit arrogant at times, but he's really not that bad-" Seeing the look on Lily's face, he hastily added- "Once you get to know him."

Lily snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure he is a GREAT guy and all that, especially after all he's done. You know- calling me Little Red (I hate that), partially turning me into a lion, hiding my homework, and humiliating me in front of our entire year by pretending to ask me out- any of that ring a bell?"

"Look, Lily, I bet he's sorry about the things he has done in the past- I know I am- but he's a loyal friend, and a good guy at heart. About him asking you out, he wasn't joking. He really doesn't hate you."

Lily bit her lip. "However honest you may be, I'm just not sure I can believe that James Potter would ever like me in any remote kind of way."

"Oh, come on, Lily! Just give him a chance! I bet the next time you see him, he won't be as arrogant as he usually is."

Lily took a sip of her butterbeer. "How much?"

"Huh?"

"How much do you want to bet?"

Remus's eyes took on a mischievous glint; he loved to bet. "How about three Galleons?"

Lily smiled. "Deal. That's three Galleons I am definitely not going to lose."

Little did they know how soon their bet would be resolved.


	15. Bets Resolved

Frank watched with wary eyes as James talked to Alice. He saw her say something, then cover her mouth looking horrified. He growled deep in his throat and made his way towards them. James ran away towards the exit of the common room, leaving Alice shouting behind him. Frank could just make out what she said.

"Oh, great! So you're going to Hogsmeade! Can you pick me up some candy from Honeydukes while you're there?" Alice called after James, her voice quickly calming Frank down.

But James didn't acknowledge Alice's request.

Frank decided: _'Well, it doesn't look like James will be getting that candy, so I guess I'll just have to do it myself.'

* * *

_Lily and Remus sipped their butterbeers while keeping their thoughts to themselves, until Remus broke the silence and said, "Look, about that deal…"

Lily smirked. "What's the matter, Lupin? Finally realize that there's no way you are going to win this bet?"

Remus smiled. "Nonsense! I just want to make the terms a little more… fair."

"And how, exactly, do you plan to do that?" Lily questioned.

"Well, I just want you to be, well, CIVIL to James the next time you see him. Otherwise, he just might be a little bit arrogant, and with a good reason."

Lily pursed her lips. "Fine," she mumbled, pouting. Her voice rose a little. "But ONLY the next time I talk to him, okay? This is a one-time deal."

Remus smiled. "I wouldn't expect it to be any other way."

* * *

James entered the Three Broomsticks, and looked around, his eyes seeking out the fiery red he knew only too well (he had watched the back of Evans's head enough, that's for sure).

"Anything for you, Mr. Potter?" asked the bartender.

Distracted, James said, "Yeah, yeah sure. A butterbeer please, extra hot."

The bartender whipped a foaming bottle out from under the counter just as James spotted Lily sitting in a corner of the pub with Remus. He grinned to himself, thinking, _'Target sighted.'_

James made his way over to where the two were sitting. "Why, hello Remus. And… Evans! Fancy seeing you here. Mind if I join you two?" Without waiting for an answer, he plopped himself down, purposely placing himself in between Lily and Remus. As his butterbeer hit the table, some of the hot liquid slopped out and splashed onto Lily's arm, which was resting on the table, but it wasn't noticed by James.

Lily pursed her lips together and remembered the promise she had made to Remus about being civil towards James, and tried to hide a wince of pain.

Remus himself was looking from Lily to James and back again frantically. He had hoped to talk to James before the bet came into play, and make sure he would act on his best behavior.

James, obviously not noticing the tension and unease floating around the table upon his arrival, struck up a conversation. "So, Evans, did you happen to go to the Quidditch Cup match earlier?"

Lily smiled- only Remus noticed how forced it was- and replied, "Actually, yes, I did. Good job out there. Congratulations."

James grinned- she SMILED at him, he was inwardly ecstatic- and said with his usual cocky arrogance, "Yeah, I did do pretty well, didn't I. I mean, the rest of the team did great, as usual, but everyone knows who REALLY won the game, don't they?"

Remus rolled his eyes and groaned, banging his head on the table.

Lily smiled even more forcefully, and stood up. "Well, I think we've ALL-" here she looked pointedly at Remus" - learned something from this little chat. I'd better be going."

She turned and walked away a few steps, before pivoting. "And Remus?" He raised his head up wearily. "You owe me three Galleons."

As Lily walked away, she could hear James saying to Remus, "What just happened?"


	16. Sweets and Snogs

Frank stared calculatingly at the shelves of mouth-watering candy displayed before him. 'What should I get? What does she like?'

Normally, he wouldn't debate over what to buy for such an extended period, but this was ALICE, not someone you could just grab something off the shelves for.

'What if I get her something she doesn't like? What if she ends up hating me? What if…? Wow. That's perfect.'

* * *

"So then, we sneak into the Slytherin common room, and find the fifth year boys dormitories." Sirius was telling Alex. "Even though it's pitch black (the Slytherin dormitories are very unpleasant, I don't know how anyone could stand living there) we can find Snivellus, because he snores louder than Worm- I mean, Peter, but just to be sure, we check his pillow, and sure enough, it's COVERED in grease (the slime ball). We plant dung bombs in his robes and give him a personality to match Stephanie Robins's."

Stephanie Robins was a fifth year and was one of the co-presidents and founders of the Marauder fan club. Take cheerleaders, combine them with infomercial ads, and make them all drink ten cups of coffee, and you've Stephanie Robins. Everything is 'super' and 'lovely' in her world.

"So in Potions, he starts complimenting himself on his 'super-slick hair' and his 'lovely new perfume'."

Alex cracked up at this horrid mental picture. "I can't believe I missed that! It must have been one of the times I snuck out to the lake with Amos." She didn't seem to notice the vein twitch in Sirius's neck.

"It's true then? You really did go out with… Diggory?" He spat out the name like a curse word.

Alex smiled. "Yes, actually, I did. He's a bloody good kisser. One of the best."

"ONE of the best?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"You're right. THE best." Sirius looked crestfallen at Alex's statement. "But that might change soon."

"It might?"

"Yes, I might change my mind."

"You would?"

"Today, possibly."

"Today?"

"Right here."

"Now?"

"Now."

And there, right in the middle of the street, Sirius and Alex… well, quite a few third graders are still traumatized to this day.

* * *

"What just happened?" James asked Remus, while the two were seated at the Three Broomsticks. "We were getting along great, and then-"

"-And then you have to go and ruin it all." Remus cut in.

"What! What did I do?"

"Exactly what Lily hates! Not all girls think you're high and mighty. Some, like Lily, think you're no better than the rest of us."

"I don't-"

"Yes, you do act like that. You really like Evans, right?"

"Yes." James said slowly.

"Then you're going to have to deflate your big head and quit being so conceited. I know there's a great guy in there somewhere, you just have to let Lily see him."

James looked like he was in shock for a minute, then said, "I am NOT conceited!"

Remus rubbed his eyes. "This is going to take a while."


	17. The End of the Year Feast

"Attention! Attention please!" Dumbledore rose from his seat, tapping his wine glass. "Alas, another year at Hogwarts has come and passed. Some of your number are about to venture out into a world beyond our beloved walls… forever. Let us now take the time to congratulate those students."

The seventh years all stood up amidst applause, cheers, and a few cat-calls provided by Sirius. Lily saw some older students that she recognized. There were Molly Prewett and Arthur Weasley, recently engaged. Anthony Patil, and his girlfriend, Lizzy Fawcett. Amelia Bones, the strict young girl Lily met at a prefect meeting. And with a shudder, Lucius Malfoy, and Narcissa Black.

"Yes, yes, that's quite enough Mr. Black." Sirius saluted the headmaster, and Dumbledore jovially returned it. The seventh years retook their seats. "Well, as you do leave these halls, keep in mind that the world is not as safe as it was when you first entered. It has changed, and not for the better. And sooner or later all of you will be faced with the choice between what is good, and what is may tempt you into doing things you don't want to do. And while I'd like to believe that every one of you will have the willpower to stand up for what is right, I know that some of you will be drawn to the side that offers you what you want the most. But know that all power comes at a cost, and when evil offers you the desires of your heart, you will not get what was promised to you."

At this statement, several of the students glanced at each other with nervous eyes. However, an even larger portion of the student body were shaking their heads and smirking, mostly at the Slytherin table.

"But let us forget about these dark times, and get on to our feast!"

The golden plates and silver goblets were filled at his words, and everyone dug in. Sirius piled mound upon mound of mashed potatoes onto his plate, and shoveled, no INHALED them into his mouth, causing several first years to gape and stare.

"So, what are you doing over the summer?" Lily asked.

Alex said (between mouthfuls of roast beef), "Well, My parents are going away this summer to Italy, so Sirius invited me over to James's house."

Alice looked confused. "Sirius invited you over to James's house?"

Alex nodded. "Apparently, Sirius spends almost all of the summer at the Potter's manor. Something about family issues."

Lily looked over to the Slytherin table. "I can see why, if the rest of his family is like Bellatrix and Narcissa."

"So what about you two?" Alex asked Alice and Lily.

"Well, my family and I are going vacationing in France."

"Really? Why?" Lily asked.

"Well, my cousin is getting married, and they always dreamed of having their wedding in Paris. So my parents decided that after the wedding, we're going to stick around and see the sights for a few months."

"Well, at least it will be educational," Lily said. "I always wanted to see all of those old buildings and art museums."

Alex snorted. "Educational? Lily, you're hopeless!"

* * *

In between many mouthfuls of mashed potatoes, Sirius said, "Oy, Prongs, I forgot to tell you. I'm hanging out at your house this summer, as soon as I get home and pack."

James shrugged. "No problem. After all, it's only to be expected since you've been spending almost every summer at our house since we were in first year. I think my parents would be disappointed if you didn't show up. You know that."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, they probably like me more than you by now, huh."

James laughed. "You're probably right, Padfoot."

"By the way, I kind of… invited Alex over for sometime during the summer." Sirius's words came out in a rush.

"Sorry Padfoot, but I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?"

"I invited Alex over for sometime during the summer." This time the words were separated, but they came out as barely a whisper.

"One more time? Just speak up a little."

"I INVITED ALEX OVER FOR SOME OF THE SUMMER, AND YOU BLOODY WELL KNOW WHAT I SAID, JAMES POTTER!"

The Great Hall went silent, some amused, some shocked, and some annoyed, like the Slytherins. Sirius realized that he was now standing up and all attention was faced on him, which normally wasn't a problem.

"Er... sorry about that, Professor Dumbledore. Go back to eating everyone."

Dumbledore chuckled. "You heard the boy. Don't let this delicious food go to waste."

Almost immediately, noise filled the Hall once again. Sirius sat down, rather red in the face.

James laughed. "Oh, so THAT'S what you said. Anyways, it's fine with me."

Sirius piled more mashed potatoes on his plate and muttered under his breath, "Bloody git."

Alice nudged Alex. "You know how many girls are glaring at you right now?"

Alex blushed. "Actually, I don't think I really want to."

Lily giggled. "What, are you afraid of the big bad Sirius Black Fan Club?"

Alex jumped up. "The WHAT!"

Lily laughed even harder. "Relax, I was only joking."

"Actually, there really is such a thing." Alice cut in.

"Really!"

"Yeah, Stephanie Robins is the president."

Alex sat down huffily. "I never liked her. Never."

She was so busy sulking that she didn't notice Lily and Alice rolling their eyes at each other.


	18. Goodbye Hogwarts

"LILY!" A terrified scream came from the fifth year girl's dormitories.

Lily ran up the stairs and arrived at the door, panting. "What's WRONG Alex?"

Alex's sapphire eyes were as round as the dinner plates from last night's feast. "My SCRAPBOOK! It's MISSING! I can't find it ANYWHERE!" She said, panicked.

Lily sighed. "Did you already pack it?"

Alex pouted. "Do you think I'm that dumb? I would know if I already-"

From behind her, Alice pulled a large blue book out from a bag on the floor. "Hey Alex!" Alex turned around. "Is this it?" she asked.

"Yes!" she squealed. "Where EVER did you find it?"

"In your bag." Came the simple answer.

"Oh," Alex said, flustered. "I- I knew that." She pointedly ignored the sniggers from Lily and turned to her bag.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express stood majestically on the platform outside the school. Lily stood in between her two best friends and sighed. "I miss school already."

Alice nudged her. "Come on, it won't be that bad." Seeing the look on Lily's face, she hurriedly added, "I mean, just ignore Petunia."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, and if you ever want out, just drop me an owl." She smiled wickedly. "I'm sure James wouldn't mind giving you a place to stay. But really, we're always here for you."

Lily was about to reply when a sickly sweet voice she knew all to well came from behind her. "Yes, comfort the Mudblood, Muggle-lovers."

The three girls spun around. "And what's that supposed to mean, Black?" Alex spat out.

Bellatrix ignored her, her gaze fixed on Lily. "You're finally going back to where you belong, Mudblood. To the Muggle world, where Mommy and Daddy are waiting."

Seemingly drawn by trouble, Sirius appeared at Alex's side. "What's going on here, Black?"

Bellatrix smirked. "Ah, it's my half-wit cousin. Sticking up for the Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers, are we? You disgust me and dirty the name of Black."

Sirius seemed unfazed by her sharp words. "Leave, Bellatrix. You're not wanted here."

Bellatrix looked around her to see the rest of the Marauders surrounding her. "Very well. You win this round." She turned around, took a step, and then paused. Looking over her shoulder, she said. "And by the way, Mudblood, do enjoy your summer. It will be the last happy one you ever have." She grinned wickedly. "If that." With those parting words, she strode away into the crowd.

Shaken, but determined not to show it, Lily stepped on to the bus. "Come on. Don't let that filth spoil the moment."

"But Lily-" Alice protested worriedly.

Lily turned around, normally bright eyes dulled. "Just forget about it."

A pair of menacing eyes watched as a pretty redhead boarded the train, followed by her little posse of friends. A dangerous, silky voice murmured so softly that none of the few surrounding students could hear, "One day, Mudblood, your pitiful little protectors won't be around to save you. One day, you'll realize you're all alone. One day. And on that day, I'll be there waiting for you, and I'll be ready."


	19. Going Home

Lily stepped off the train, following Alex, who was holding hands with Sirius. Alice came off after her. The three girls gathered their luggage (well, two at least. Sirius took the liberty of taking Alex's) and turned to face each other.

"Well, I guess this is it." Alice said. She lifted her head, showing eyes bright with tears. "I'll miss you guys so much!" she burst out. Her two best friends gathered her up into a hug.

"It's okay," Lily said. "After all, it's only for the summer."

Alex nodded. "Yeah. Try not to miss us too much when you're with the French."

"I won't," Alice whispered. Detaching herself from her friends, she said, "There's my parents. I'd better go." With one last hug and a whispered good-bye, Alice left the group, leaving Lily and Alex alone with Sirius.

"I guess this is good- bye," Lily said. As one, the two friends moved into a tight embrace. "I'll miss you."

"We'll see each other over the summer." Alex said.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

They pulled out of the friendly hug.

"What no hug for me?" Sirius asked Lily, pouting.

Lily laughed. "The day I hug you, Black, is a very sad day indeed. Besides, I'm sure Alex wouldn't object to take my place."

Alex blushed.

"I'll just leave the two of you alone," Lily said with a smile.

"Lily! Over here, honey!"

Lily smiled and turned her fiery head towards her mother, Marie Evans. Mrs. Evans was taller than Lily by about two inches. It was easy to see where Lily got her red hair and green eyes from. Spotting the figure standing beside her, Lily rushed into her tall father-John Evans-'s arms.

"I'm so happy to see you guys again!" she yelled, her voice muffled in her father's shirt.

"Whoa, slow down there, tiger," her father laughed.

Lily turned. "Mum!"

Trying to contain herself, her mother whispered, "It's so good to see you, too, Lily dear," her bright eyes brimming with unshed tears of happiness as she held her beloved daughter tight.

"Let's go home," her father said.

"Home," Lily repeated silently. That word alone held a special meaning to Lily. It meant relief from the pressures of studying for school, a chance to spend time with her family. It meant a time to recuperate after a year with Potter. It meant she had the chance to remember why she hated Petunia so much, but that wasn't exactly a plus. But with her sister being married soon, that meant that soon Petunia would be out of Lily's life for as long as both of them could manage, which would make home a safe haven for Lily.

* * *

A/N: Ok, so as yuo may have noticed, fifth year flew by. Why? Because their fifth year was boring. Basically, it was just there to set up sixth year a little more in depth-ly than a prologue could, and to help myself get in touch with the character's. As for James and Lily's relationship, I thought I'd clarify a bit what I have in mind: they have very conflicting attitudes towards authority and other students (face it, James was a bit of a bully), and therefore never really got along. They fought a lot, and I mean a LOT. But they could minimally tolerate each other as long as nothing set them off. Then James started to just notice her more. No, there wasn't a bang and flash of light, and he's suddenly in love with her. That's not how these things happen. He just has a little crush now, one that he'd rather ignore (because, as he's said many times, it's EVANS, after all). Also, he's rather put out that she doesn't seem to be attracted to him. On Lily's side, she thinks he's a bully that lives to drive her crazy. She doesn't really believe that he likes her. She thinks it's basically another prank and is choosing to ignore it.

Alex and Sirius have always been flirtatious with each other, but they never actually did anything before this year. They started out as more like snog-partners with little commitment, but gradually it developed into a relationship. They still flirt with the opposite sex and drive each other crazy with jealousy, but that's just who they are.

Alice and Frank are not dating. They both really like each other, however, and it is very obvious. They both know, but are just choosing to take things extremely slow.

Now, onto the summer. Which will also be short. Because, let's face it, Hogwarts is where the magic happens.


	20. Lessons and Running

Two boys were lazing about in the luscious Potter gardens. One was sitting down with his back to a giant oak, and the other was attempting to catch a small winged gold ball.

"Okay, lets try this again," Remus said exasperatedly, rubbing his temples. "For some unknown reason, Lily happens to be sitting next to you during a meal. You…"

"Give her a smile that isn't cocky, but friendly." James recited.

Remus nodded. "Good! Please demonstrate."

James shot him a look. "No offense, mate, but that would be a little creepy, not to mention way wrong."

"Right, sorry. Forget I said that and move on."

"I then ask her a casual question, such as 'How was your summer?' or 'Did you try the roast beef yet?'" James went on monotonously. Then, he grinned. "And if she doesn't get mad at me, I make a move."

Remus threw his hands up and shouted at the sky, "Why me! Why!"

His eyes wide with bewilderment, James asked, "What? What did I say?"

Frustrated, Remus said, "No moves! None! Ixnay no the ovesmay!"

"What did you say?" James asked, scratching his head.

"It's Pig Latin!"

"Wicked! I didn't know you spoke Latin!"

"I DON'T! I mean, we're getting off the subject. As I was saying, it's best to not make any passes on any kind on Lily, or at least not until you two are good, solid friends. And I'm telling you mate, we have a long way to go until we get to that point."

* * *

Sirius sat in his room, staring at the dirty ceiling in anger. His blood boiled as he thought of what had happened at dinner.

_Flashback _

"Pass the potatoes." Regulus said.

Sirius pointedly looked at the bowl of potatoes sitting right in front of his brother.

"Did you not hear your brother?" His father asked. "Pass Regulus the potatoes, whelp."

"Did you not see the potatoes?" Sirius retorted. "They're closer to him than they are to me!"

"Do not speak to your father that way!" His mother shrieked.

Sirius rolled his eyes and walked around the table. Stepping in front of his smirking brother, he pushed the potatoes an inch towards him. "There you go!" Sirius said with false cheerfulness. Sitting back down, he resumed picking at his plate.

After a few moments had passed, he finally set his fork down. "I'm planning on visiting the Potters tomorrow, so you can tell the house elves to not set a place for me."

"Again!" His mother said. "You spend more time there than you do here!"

To himself, Sirius muttered, "I wonder why that could be." Out loud, he said, "My girlfriend is going to be there tomorrow, so I just-"

"Who?" His father demanded.

"Alex Suerte. She's-"

"A blood traitor, Mum." Regulus cut in. "I always see her spending time with Mudbloods and other traitors."

Mrs. Black frowned. "Is that so? Well, I don't want you to see her again, if that's the case. You are permitted to write one letter to her, explaining that you no longer wish to see her."

"But Mum-" Sirius protested.

"You heard your mother." Mr. Black sneered. "That's the end of the discussion."

Sirius looked at his parents in disgust. Pushing his chair back, he stalked away from his hated family.

_End Flashback _

Sirius made up his mind. Taking a bag from his closet, he started shoving clothes and his school things into it. "Fine. You want me gone? I'm gone. And don't ever expect me to ever come back."

Giving the ceiling one last glare, Sirius jumped out of the window and into the inky night.


	21. Over the Summer

James and Remus were in the middle of lesson thirteen (Compliments: Do's and Don'ts) when a loud, sharp knock came at the front door. "I'll get it," James yelled to no one in particular. Expecting to see yet another Zonkos delivery person, James was surprised to instead find Sirius standing at his (rather large) doorstep. "Sirius?"

His friend was drenched in rain and was holding a stuffed bag. He simply said, "James? I need somewhere to stay."

James, who knew of the Black family situation, just nodded. "Sure! Come on in, or would you just like to stay in the rain?"

Obvious relief spread over Sirius's face as it lit up into the brilliant grin he was famous for. "Thanks, mate," he said gruffly, and pulled James into a brotherly hug.

After a few moments, James said awkwardly, "Umm, you do realize we're standing out in the rain, don't you?"

Laughing, the two boys walked into the house. Sirius closed the door, and with it left all thoughts of his family behind.

* * *

"ALICE! Come on! We're going to miss the portkey!" Mrs. Vivir yelled frantically.

"Just a MINUTE!" Came the hurried response. Alice signed the parchment before her with a flourish, then quickly looked over her work:

_Dearest Frank,_

_How are you? I'm fine on this side of England. Is your mother still being as terrible as she was over Christmas break? If so, I pity you greatly._

_I'm missing you something awful already, even though it has only been but two days since I saw you last. We (my family and I) are all leaving for France today by portkey. Since there are so many of us (27) we will need two._

_I think I'd better end this letter now, in case I should miss the portkey and be stranded in London for the remainder of our summer vacation. I shall miss you even more as we leave. Please write me back! Your letters may be the only thing that will keep me going in France!_

_Love,_

_Your Alice _

Satisfied, Alice tied the letter to her owl, Candyce. "Don't leave until he responds, okay Candy?"

With a shrill tweet, Candy flew out the window.

Alice could hear her family counting down in the dining hall. "Eleven, ten…"

"ALICE!" Her mother shrieked.

Alice flew out of her room and bounded down the stairs.

"Six, five…"

Spotting the majority of her family holding an old baseball glove, Alice lunged towards the tennis ball her five cousins were holding.

"Three, two…"

Just in time, Alice felt the unpleasant tug at her navel, and was whisked away.

* * *

_Ding-dong. _"I'll get it!" Lily yelled over the loud noise emitting from her living room. She ran to the door and threw it open. "ALEX!" Lily threw her arms around the girl in the doorway. "It's so good to see you!"

Alex smiled. "It's good to see you to, Lily." There was a slight pause. "Lily? LILY! You're choking me!"

Lily backed away and blushed. "I'm sorry, but I've spent the last six weeks trying to stay out of Petunia's way, and it's so good to see a friendly face." She grabbed her friend's bags. "Come on! We'll be staying in my room."

Lily led Alex through the throng of people crowded throughout her house. When they reached Lily's room, Alex let out, "Who were all those people?"

"Guests for the party."

"You mean all those people came here just to see Petunia get married?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"Sadly, yes. They're relatives, friends of Petunia, and people with good social status she wishes she was friends with. Petunia nearly had a fit when she found out that another 'freak' was going to be at her wedding, but Mum knows that if I didn't have a single friend here, I'd absolutely die."

Alex smiled. "And so here I am, coming to your rescue."

"Exactly."

The week passed by with little to comment on, save one small encounter. Alex and Lily were fighting their way through the crowd when Alex was knocked to her feet. "Oy! Watch where you're going!"

The man leered down at her, then glanced at Lily. "Ah, you must be the freak with her freaky friend. Just keep your freakiness away from me and my friends, or no amount of freaky words will be able to bring you back from where me and my friends will send you." With one last sneer, the man turned and stalked away.

Alex and Lily looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. "That was a MAN!" Alex gasped out. "I thought it was a pig to roast for the reception!"

Lily nodded and laughed even harder. "Not only is that hunk of blubber a man, but he's Vernon Dursley, the man Petunia's marrying!"

The two girls slowly calmed down, and then decided to go back to Lily's room. As they reached the stairs, Alex said, "He does have a very limited vocabulary, doesn't he?" Their peals of laughter followed them all the way up the stairs.

The wedding and reception were very uneventful, boring, and quite plain, just like the new couple. After all the proper goodbyes and thank you's were said, and the guests had all gone, the three Evans's, two Dursley's, and one Suerte all headed home for a night of rest and slumber.

The next morning, Lily trudged herself down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she quickly focused on her parents. Her mother's face was drawn and weary, with worry lines stretching across her forehead. Her father was staring blankly at a piece of paper lying on the table in front of him. "What happened?" Lily asked.

Mrs. Evans sighed. "It's… your Uncle Eddie. He- he's been in a fatal c- car accident, and he- he's dying." She choked out.

Lily sank into one of the kitchen chairs. Uncle Eddie? HER Uncle Eddie? The same Uncle Eddie that first taught her to read? The same Uncle Eddie that was so young and full of life? That Uncle Eddie? He was dying? "How long does he have left?"

"Not long." Her father said. "That's why your mother and I must go to Wales."

Lily nodded. She had presumed as much. "Am I to stay here with Petunia?" Alex was going to be leaving that afternoon, and Vernon had gone back to his parent's house for the time being.

Mrs. Evans slightly composed herself. "Yes. We'll tell her as soon as she wakes up, but your father and I have to take a little trip into town and send a letter to your Aunt Sally to tell her we're coming."

A few minutes later, her parents left, and Lily was left alone in the kitchen with her thoughts, waiting for either her sister or Alex. Both were late risers.

Lily didn't have long to wait. A few minutes later, Petunia bounded into the kitchen. "Where are Mum and Daddy?" She asked while looking in the fridge.

"They've gone to town to mail Aunt Sally."

"Why?"

"Uncle Eddie's gotten into a terrible car accident."

"Oh, really? Well, I always knew that man was headed for trouble."

Lily was shocked. "How could you say that? He's DYING!"

"Good riddance to the rest of us good people on the road, I say." Petunia was now breaking eggs into the skillet.

"How can you be so heartless?"

"Heartless!" Petunia snorted. "I'm not heartless. I'm married, and you don't even have a boyfriend yet," she said, as if that solved everything.

"Maybe I'm just waiting for someone who resembles more than a whale with a bad attitude!" Lily cried out.

There was a tense pause. "What did you say?" Petunia asked, her voice low with anger.

"You heard me!"

Petunia turned around with the steaming skillet in her hand. "You- you little WITCH!"

Lily backed into a corner as Petunia advanced on her, skillet held high. "I should have done this years ago, right when you were accepted into that FREAK school of yours!"

At that precise moment a shrill cry rang out. "PETUNIA! What do you THINK you're doing!" Their parents stood in the doorway, looking at the scene that lay before them in shock.

Petunia lowered the skillet as the eggs slipped down to the floor.

* * *

Lily sat on her bed, shaking in Alex's comforting grasp. There was a tentative knock on the door. "Can I come in?" Mrs. Evans asked quietly.

Lily nodded to Alex, who said, "Yes."

The door was slowly pushed open and Lily's mother joined her on the bed. After a momentary silence, she said, "Your father and I calmed Petunia down."

"Good," Lily whispered.

"We still must go to Wales, but in light of what just happened, I don't think it would be good a good idea to leave you here with Petunia. Is there anywhere else you can stay?"

Alex smiled. "I know the PERFECT place, Mrs. Evans."

So, two hours later, Lily found herself in front of the fireplace with her bags in hand. Alice's cousin, who worked in the Department for Magical Transport, had set up a Muggle-to-Wizard Floo Connection for Alex. Turning around, Lily hugged her mother tightly. "I'll miss you so much!"

Mrs. Evans smiled through the silent tears trickling down her face. "Be sure to write us as soon and as often as possible."

"I will," came the whispered answer. Next, Lily faced her father.

"Take care of yourself, tiger."

"I will, Daddy." Father and daughter shared a quick but meaningful hug, and pulled apart.

"Try not to miss us to much," Mr. Evans said as he ruffled Lily's hair.

Choking up, Lily quickly turned to Alex, who was standing by the fireplace.

Alex Flooed away, then it was Lily's turn. Grasping her bags by the handles and stepping into the flames, Lily spared one last glance at her parents. "I love you!" She yelled, then the flames took her.


	22. Room Issues

James, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in the Potter's front parlor, awaiting the arrival of Alex. Actually, Sirius was awaiting the arrival of Alex. James and Remus were sitting opposite each other on plump blue velvet chairs, and were finishing up lesson fifteen of 'Lily Training'.

"Okay, so Lily falls down in the middle of the hallway. What do you do, point and laugh, like you did last year, or help her up and make sure that she's okay?" Remus asked.

James grinned. "I know this one; it's simple. I help her up and make sure she's okay." Remus was about to congratulate him, but James held up his hand. "Wait a minute! I'm not finished. You see, she just might have fallen into a pile of dust. And I just might have seen that spot on her robe. And I just might feel obliged to rub it off."

Remus groaned, and let his head fall into his hands. "Not again! I thought you were done with the I-must-touch-her syndrome! Remember Lesson Five! Voiceless Actions: The Wrong and the Right!"

James just stared at the wall, lost in visions of the scene he had just created.

_Lily was walking down the corridor, when some Slytherin jerk pushed her roughly to the ground._

_James was by her side the moment she fell. "Are you all right, Lily?"_

_She smiled that brilliant smile of hers to him. "Oh James! I was hurt, but just seeing you, the most popular boy at Hogwarts standing above me makes everything else go away! I see now that I was wrong in hating you, and you really are perfect! Will you be my boyfriend forever! If you say yes, I shall be the happiest girl on Earth! If you say no, I shall have to throw myself out of the Astronomy Tower in despair!"_

"_Of course I will, Lily! And I forgive you for all these past years!"_

_Lily threw her arms around him. "Oh, James, James, my dear sweet James. James. James. James! JAMES!_

"JAMES!" Sirius was shouting at him, and shaking his shoulders, and snapped James out of his dream. "Prongs, you okay?"

James smiled. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

Sirius let him go. "Good, because I was seriously afraid for your sanity, mate. You were staring at nothing and kept muttering Evans's name."

James turned bright red. "I- I was? Oh. I- that's strange."

Remus looked at him strangely, and looked like he was about to say something, when the flames in the fireplace turned green.

Sirius started jumping up and down, and shouted, "She's here! She's here!"

James walked up to the bouncing Sirius and stopped him. "Don't you remember? This is the front parlor."

Sirius looked at him blankly. "Er, your point is?

"The front parlor's fireplace is slightly tilted forwards, so whoever comes here through it falls down."

Sirius still looked at him, blinking his eyes. "So?"

James sighed. "Well, don't you think SOMEONE better be there to catch her?"

Sirius's eyes grew wide and excited as the meaning hit him. "You're right! I'd better go catch her!"

James rolled his eyes as Sirius hurried up to the front of the fireplace. The flames suddenly shot up, and a blonde girl fell out of the fire, arms wind-milling. Sirius caught her halfway to the ground, and then promptly dropped her. "OWWWW! MY NOSE! YOU HIT MY NOSE!" He yelled, hopping around the room.

Alex stood up, brushed herself off, and guided Sirius to the couch and sat next to him. "There, there," she crooned. "Let me see it."

She bent over him, and as her fingers ran over his face, Sirius winked at James.

James rolled his eyes once more, and was about to make a comment, when the flames turned green again. "What the- who's coming?"

Alex sat up straight (much to Sirius's disappointment) and clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh no! I forgot to tell you that-"

A red haired girl fell out of the fireplace backwards, and with his Quidditch training, James caught her before she hit the ground.

"Lily's coming." Alex finished.

Lily coughed and rubbed her eyes. "That was a painful trip."

James's eyes widened. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks, but- POTTER!" She roared. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!"

James set her on the ground, and stood back up. Lily pushed herself off of the floor and glared at him. Sensing a fight coming on, Remus cleared his throat. "James? Perhaps we should show the girls their rooms?"

"Er… right." James said. "Follow me." He led them up a set of sweeping staircases and down a wide corridor full of paintings and statues. Lily looked around in awe. She knew that the Potter's were rich, but not THAT rich. She almost crashed into Alex as the group came to an abrupt halt.

James cleared his throat nervously, as if he was afraid of something. "The six rooms on this floor used to be only three, but we divided them in half a couple years ago. The one adjoining Remus's room is being used as a second library. This one is attached to Sirius's room, so I think Alex would want it." Alex nodded, and dumped her bags on the wide bed.

Lily swallowed, almost knowing what was to come next. "The one down the hall is mine, and, well, I guess the one connected to it is yours, Evans." The way he said it almost made it seem like a question.

Alex smiled to herself. This was going to work out perfectly. Before Lily could say anything to ruin it, she said, "Great! She'll take it!"

Lily just glared at her friend, but knew better than to argue.

Lily sat in her room, fuming. Not only was she spending three weeks with the Potter's, but she was doing it while in a room connecting to Potter's. Things couldn't get any worse. Sighing, she picked at her shirt. It was filthy with ashes and soot. She started rummaging in her bag for a change of clothes.

James sat on his bed, gloomy. _'Great.'_ He thought. _'Lily's going to hate me for this arrangement.'_

He rubbed his eyes. "Well, maybe she'll appreciate it if I tell her how to work the lock- it's pretty old."

He went to the door in the back of his room and pushed it open. Looking at the floor, he said quickly, "Look, Lily, I know you're probably ma-"

He looked up, and felt his eyes go wide and his mouth drop open. Lily was standing before him in shock, with her shirt off. He found himself staring at her barely covered torso. "A- bad- abad- badabada- badab- adba-" He heard himself uttering total nonsense.

Lily finally regained her composure. "POTTER! You PERVERT! Get out! OUT!"

James turned and fled into his room. Closing the door behind him, he started to apologize. "Lily! I'm sorry! I didn't know! I just wanted to show you how the lock worked, so something like this wouldn't happen! I didn't mean to-" His words were cut off by the door being flung open by (a fully clothed) Lily.

Her eyes narrowed, Lily said, "Fine. Show me how it works, then."

Not wanting to meet Lily's eyes, he kept his staring at the floor and quickly said, "Turn the handle to the left and push the bolt in sideways."

Lily spun on her heel and reached for the door. Seeming to think better of it, she turned back around and slapped James across the face. He just stood still until the door slammed shut. _'Lily's never going to like me,'_ he thought sadly.

_August 10_

_Dear Mum and Daddy,_

_How is Uncle Eddie doing? And Aunt Sally? Do you know how much longer he has left? I am sorry to bother you with these grim questions, but I feel I must know._

_I hope this letter finds you well. I am doing fine here, considering where I am. Alex and I got here with little trouble._

_Please give Aunt Sally and Uncle Eddie a kiss for me._

_Love,_

_Lily_

Two days later, Lily awoke to a sharp pecking on her window. She pulled herself out of bed and dragged herself to the window. She let her owl, Ayeres, in and untied the letter. Gazing at the familiar writing, Lily smiled.

_August 12 _

_Dear Lily,_

_It is so good to hear from you. We spend most of our time at the Phillip Hospital, visiting your Uncle Eddie. He is still holding on, but I fear not for long. Aunt Sally is despairing, but that is only to be expected. When Uncle Eddie wakes up, he asks for you. I think you always were his favorite niece. Of course, you are also his only niece, besides Petunia. However, he seems to think that you are in a danger of some sort, and keeps muttering about 'those awful red eyes'. I fear my brother is starting to lose a bit of his mind each day._

_The whole family has now arrived. Your grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, all of them. I think seeing all of my family together is a little depressing for your father, since his parents died soon after you were born, and he has no siblings._

_It is a good thing you did not come, for you would be terribly bored. They don't let anyone over 18 in to see your Uncle._

_Do not dwell on these grim tidings, however, and have a good time with your friends. It is what your Uncle would have wanted._

_Love,_

_Mum _

Lily smiled sadly and folded the letter up. After getting dressed, she went down the stairs and into the dining hall. "Morning, Everyone," she said cheerfully. Looking around the table she felt her smile drop into a worried frown. Alex was silently crying with her head buried in Sirius's shoulder. James was poking at his food, as was Remus. The elder Potters were talking to each other in fast whispers. As Lily entered the dining hall, all eyes turned her way. "What happened?" She asked nervously.

James was the first one to answer. "There's been an attack." He said sullenly, gazing at the paper in front of him.

Lily nervously took a step forward, then another, until she was standing right next to James. Forcing herself to look at the headline, Lily reeled back in shock.

_**Yet Another Attack By The One Who Calls Himself Lord Voldemort **_

_**Lord Voldemort strikes Phillip Hospital, leaving no survivors**_

_Yesterday around six o'clock in the evening, Lord Voldemort struck his hardest blow yet. He destroyed a local muggle hospital in Wales, Phillip Hospital. Once again, a floating green mark was found floating above the attack site. There were no survivors. A complete list of the dead is yet to be released to the public. We have the prestigious Auror O'Hailey here today to give us a few safety pointers. "The first thing you must do if you see this green mark in the sky is to STAY OUT OF THE BUILDING! One of the killing wackos may still be in there. Apparate immediately to the Ministry and notify the Aurors, and if you do not yet have your license, find someone who does. No civilian is to EVER take on the responsibility of the Aurors and try to fight one of these crazed madmen for any reason." Says O'Hailey. We are sure to take his advice to protect our community and our own selves._

Lily took a few steps and stumbled, not noticing the tears running down her face. She rocked to and fro on unsteady feet, and then finally fell backwards. For the second time in three days, James caught her right before she hit the floor.

Lily's eyes remained unfocused as she tried to take in everything going on around her. She could barely make out the fuzzy voices.

"Mum! Mum!" Someone was shouting. Why does everyone have to yell? "She's… there's something wrong with her."

A voice answered, "Quick! Take her up to her room! I'll get a potion and…" The voices faded altogether. The last thing Lily remembered before she passed out was a pair of warm, strong arms enveloping her.

* * *

A/N: So I thought I'd explain why Lily's family was targeted. At school, Lily embodies everything the Death Eaters hate. She's a 'Mudblood,' for one, but is also the top of her class, rubbing it in to all the prejudiced purebloods. This understandably makes them very angry, which is why she is usually focused on in the run-ins they have with the Slytherins. Voldemort now is gaining some real power in the wizarding world, mostly by keeping everyone on their toes. We know that Bellatrix was always a favorite of his, so it stands to reason that he's gladly help make a Mudblood miserable that causes them so much grief at school. This does NOT mean that Bellatrix is a Death Eater yet. Her family just runs in those circles, and she has contact with Voldemort, keeping an eye on the school, especially Dumbledore, for him.


	23. Sorrow

James scooped Lily up in his arms. Her fiery red hair tumbled around her shoulders. James couldn't help but notice how perfectly it framed her delicate, pale face. He quickly ran up the stairs, taking care to not bounce her around too much. James carefully laid her out on the bed as his mum and Alex burst in.

"Thank you, James." Mrs. Potter said. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer you two to wait outside the room, please."

"I'd like to stay with her," Alex said stubbornly. Her normally pretty face was drawn with worry.

James gently grabbed her by the arm and guided her out the door. "Come on," he said. Surprisingly, Alex didn't object. James closed the door behind them and leaned against the wall. "Mum likes to work alone," he explained.

Alex nodded. "I just hope Lily's okay." She said.

"Don't worry," James assured her. "Mum's a top Healer at St. Mungos. If anyone can help Lily, she can. The one thing I can't understand is why Lily fainted like that in the first place. I mean, sure the attack was bad, and a lot of people were killed, but that isn't really enough to just collapse like that."

Alex shook her head, her blond locks shaking. "No, you don't understand. Lily's entire family was at that hospital. Now, her only living relative is a sister who hates her."

James's eyes went wide. Under his breath, he muttered, "Bloody mother of…" He let himself slide down the wall. Just then, Sirius and Remus came up the stairs. Sirius went right up to Alex, who was crying once again.

"Is she alright?" Remus asked concernedly.

"I don't know," James muttered.

* * *

Lily slowly opened her eyes to reveal a blurry world. A woman was standing above her, mixing a potion. "Mum?" Lily asked blearily.

The woman bit her lip and looked at Lily with saddened eyes. "No."

Slowly, the woman came into focus, and Lily remembered the events of the past few hours. "Mrs. Potter." Lily said quietly, turning her head away. A solitary tear ran down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, dear." Mrs. Potter said.

"It's not your fault. Don't be sorry. I would like to be alone, though." Lily said heavily.

Mrs. Potter nodded sadly. "Of course. Just drink this potion. I'll have a House Elf bring up your meals for however long you need." She set the potion on the bedside table and walked out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind her, Mrs. Potter was bombarded with questions.

"Is she okay?"

"Is she awake?"

"Can I see her?"

Mrs. Potter sighed. "Lily's fine. She just needs some time alone."

The four children nodded in understanding.

* * *

The next two weeks passed by quickly. Alex and Sirius disappeared in the many Potter gardens quite frequently. Remus continued to 'tutor' James, as Lily had not been seen by anyone besides the House Elves and Alex since that day. James used to try to break in to Lily's room just to see her, but was caught by Mrs. Potter every time. Eventually, Mrs. Potter had to post a House Elf on guard at Lily's bedroom door, so James gave up breaking in.

James lay in his bed, trying to sleep, but was finding it quite impossible. He finally sat up and stared out the window, until it hit him. The window! Careful to not make a noise, James walked over to his closet. His Silver Arrow was in the broom shed on the Potter Quidditch Pitch, but his old Shooting Star should be… Yes! James triumphantly pulled a broom out of the closet and mounted it. Flying over to the window, he undid the latch and entered the cool night air. The crescent moon was out, illuminating the sides of Potter Manor.

Luckily, Lily had opened her window for some fresh air, so James flew in and landed softly beside her bed.

Her red locks covered her face. Almost afraid to touch her and ruin the serene picture, James reached out with a hesitant hand and brushed them behind her ears. Lily's delicate features were at peace as she slept on.

James lost track of how long he sat there, just staring at Lily while visions of his past ran through his head. He saw Lily slap him with a furry paw. Lily standing in her room, in the middle of changing her shirt. Lily falling out of the fireplace and into his arms. Lily calling him James for the first time in three years. Lily's face as she yelled at him by the lake. Lily collapsing in the dining hall.

He sat there until the first rays of the sun peaked in on them, waking James up out of his reverie. James knew he should be getting back into his own room before someone discovered him, but he couldn't seem to pull himself away from Lily's sleeping form. _'This is probably the only time Lily will look that much at peace while I'm around, and that's only because she doesn't know I'm here,'_ he thought mournfully. He smiled sadly at her, and stood up. About to leave, James looked at Lily one last time. Something about her called to him, and he bent over her. "Feel better soon, Lily," he murmured. Almost on a whim, James laid a gentle kiss on Lily's forehead.

Lily stirred in her bed. Panicking, James mounted his broom and flew out of the window and into the morning.

Lily rubbed her eyes sleepily. What had woken her up? She smiled and recalled her rapidly fading dream. All she could remember was a dark stranger standing near her. Lily didn't know who he was, but she didn't mind. His presence was soothing and calm, and Lily had felt… content. Loved. She smiled once more and snuggled farther into bed, hoping for more dreams of her dark mystery man.


	24. Friends in Flour

Lily awoke the next morning with a firm determination to stop mourning. Her family, with the exception of Petunia, would not want her to waste her life away like this.

Lily dragged herself out of bed and groaned as the ache of barely used limbs were put to work. She turned to look in the mirror. Lily's already big emerald eyes widened in shock at what she saw. Was the person in the mirror really her? The girl in front of her had blood-shot eyes, a gaunt face, matted hair, and a haunted look about her. She turned away and shook her head to rid herself of the sorry image.

After a long, hot, and refreshing shower, Lily threw on some fresh robes and risked another glance in the mirror. She looked better, but still a tad bit depressed.

Lily took a deep breath, and opened her bedroom door.

As she entered the dining hall, a hush fell over the occupants already eating breakfast. Alex was the first to recover. "Lily!" She exclaimed in delight. "It's so good to see you again!"

Lily smiled. "It's good to see you, too." She gathered up her courage and said, "I just want to thank you all for understanding what I was going through, and I'm sorry that I've been such a bother these past two weeks."

Mrs. Potter smiled softly. "It was no trouble at all, Lily dear."

Lily gave her a gratified smile, and took a seat next to Alex.

The normal breakfast noises returned to the dining hall, with clanging plates and "Can you pass the-"s.

After a few moments, Lily asked, "Where's Potter?"

Remus, who had overheard, said, "I don't know. He's usually up by now. He probably had a late night or something."

How right he was.

When James got back to his room from visiting Lily, all the tiredness he had kept at bay hit him. He barely had enough time to collapse on his bed before sleep took him at last.

James woke up around noon. Dragging himself out of bed, James put on some new robes and walked down to the kitchens. After accepting a piece of toast from the House Elves, James visited the gardens. He sat down with his back against a broad oak tree and ate his breakfast.

When he was done, he looked at the sky as peaceful thoughts ran through his head, and barely noticed when someone was standing before him.

"Potter?" A sweet voice asked. James looked to the side and saw a figure framed by the golden sun. She looked every bit the angel she was.

"Lily!" He exclaimed in surprise.

She smiled. "Can I sit down?"

He nodded. She sat down, her shoulder leaning against his. "I- we'd begun to worry about you. Sirius wondered if you were going to get out in time for school."

Lily nodded. "I'd been wondering that, too. School starts in a few days, doesn't it?"

"Four." James said. "We're going to Diagon Alley in three days."

"That's nice." Lily said. A few silent moments passed. "These gardens are really beautiful."

James nodded. "I know. I used to spend all my time in here when I was little. When I was _really_ little, I used to run around naked, day after day."

Lily laughed. "That would have been a sight to see." James's eyebrows rose. Her eyes widened in horror at the implication of what she had just said sunk in. "I mean- what I meant was- it would have been funny- seeing you as a kid- well, not you exactly, but a little boy-"

It was James's turn to laugh. "It's okay. I know what you mean."

A few moments passed again, this time more comfortable.

Lily took a deep breath. "Listen, Potter. The real reason I came here was to thank you."

"For what?" James asked, confused.

"For giving me a place to stay without notice. For generally respecting my privacy. For understanding my need to be alone."

"Anyone would have done that," James protested.

Lily held up a hand. "I'm not finished." She said firmly. "I came here expecting to find the arrogant, cocky boy I left at Kings Cross Station, but when I got here, I found... you. A you that's kind and considerate, and always willing to lend a hand- sometimes literally. So I wanted to tell you that, well, I'm willing to forget these past five years if you are, and start over fresh." She looked at him nervously. "So, do you want to?" She asked.

James nodded, not trusting his voice.

Lily smiled, and held out a delicate hand. "Lily Evans, Hogwarts's Gryffindor Prefect."

James regained his voice and said, "James Potter, resident trouble-maker."

Lily grinned and stood up, as James did. "See you later... James." She turned and walked towards the house.

As soon as the doors closed behind her, James fell onto the ground in happy bliss. "Yes!" he whispered. "Thank you, Remus."

* * *

"Come on, Lily!" Alex said. "We're almost there!"

"Almost where?!" Lily asked.

Alex smiled mischievously. "You'll see."

Lily sighed in exasperation, but continued to follow Alex. They reached a large wooden oak door, and Alex turned to face Lily. Keeping a straight face, she said, "Young lady, I've noticed that you have been very depressed lately. And as you're my best friend, it's my duty to cheer you up before school starts. So I have something for you that you've always enjoyed." Alex flung open the door. With a wide smile, she said, "Cooking!"

Lily gasped as she looked around her. The spacious kitchen was filled with every wizarding appliance imaginable. The icebox was filled to the brim with food and ingredients. She ran in, and started touching everything in sight.

Alex looked on proudly. "I had Mrs. Potter give the kitchen House Elves other things to do for a few hours."

Lily looked up at her, eyes shining. "Really! You mean we can bake whatever we want?"

Alex nodded. Lily squealed in delight and threw her arms around her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Alex laughed. "Well, let's get started!"

An hour later, cookies laid out in dozens, steaming with heat, and the smell in the room alone was enough to fill your stomach. Lily stood across the table from Alex, attempting to shake flour into a large bowl. "It. Won't. Come. OUT!" She yelled. Lily gave it one more jerk.

The white flour blew out of the bag and hit Alex in the face. Both of their mouths opened in shock. "You- LILY!" Alex yelled.

"I'm sorry!" Lily said quickly. "It just flew out of there like-"

Her words were cut off as a handful of sugar hit her in the chest. "ALEX!" Lily grabbed some more flour, and soon the air was filled with flying white powder.

* * *

James had been flying around the Quidditch pitch with the Remus and Sirius when a sudden hunger pain hit him. "You hungry?" He yelled out. They nodded quickly.

They flew down to the house and jogged towards the kitchens, since dinner was too far away to wait. As James approached the door, wonderful smells hit his nose and he smiled. The House Elves must have been cooking lately.

He opened the door and barged in, when large white missile hit him full in the face. "What the-!"

The two girls in there took notice of him and their fun came to an abrupt halt. Lily now resembled a slim snowman. "James!" she shouted, Alex's eyebrows rising in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting some food." Sirius answered.

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't know you were there!"

James smiled wickedly. "So _you _hit me?"

Lily nodded guiltily, looking at the floor.

James deftly grabbed a pile of flour sitting by him, and hurled it at his attacker. Lily's mouth dropped open as a new white spot appeared on her clothes. "JAMES!"

"Yes?" He said, smirking.

"You- you-" Lily sputtered. Suddenly, she smiled as well, and grabbed some more flour. Her aim was off, and she hit Remus.

"LILY!" He yelled.

Soon the war was in full swing once more, and Lily found herself ducking behind overturned tables. Alex and Sirius had teamed up with each other. Suddenly, another body fell towards her. "James?" She asked. Lily was lying on the floor, and James was on top of her, his arms holding him up.

"Lily?" He asked. They were barely recognizable under the many layers of dust.

Lily started giggling. "You have this big glob on your cheek." She said.

"Where?" He asked, and rubbing at his cheek. This only spread it around.

Lily sighed in fake exasperation. "Her, let me get it for you." She reached up and rubbed it off. He stayed there, looking at her.

After a few moments, Lily said quietly, "James?"

"Yeah?"

"Um... you can get off me now."

James's cheeks reddened, and he scrambled off of Lily. He helped her get back up to her feet.

The war had seemed to die off, since James and Lily had been preoccupied, Alex and Sirius were... also preoccupied, and Remus had no one to hit.

Sirius came up for air, and noticed everyone looking at him. "What?" He asked.

Remus just shook his head and looked away. Alex gulped and bit her lip with embarrassment. "That was fun." She said.

Lily gave her a strange look.

Seeing that, Alex explained. "The war, I mean. It was fun."

James smirked. "I'm sure it was."

* * *

The next day, Lily, Alex, Sirius, Remus, and the Potters went shopping in Diagon Alley. Lily and Alex had great fun seeing Alice again. Peter met the other Marauders there, and they spent most of the day at various Quidditch and prank stores. At the end of the day, everyone who was staying at the Potter's said goodbye to his or her friends.

They all went home late that night, and slept soundly, before they were awoken by Mrs. Potter on September first.


	25. Back to School

The morning at the Potter's was quite hectic, with everyone running up and down the stairs enough times to qualify as a full- fledged workout. Finally, everyone piled into the Ministry cars that Mr. Potter had been able to rent by pulling a few strings. The large group arrived at the Kings Cross Station with just minutes to spare.

The five sixth years barreled in through the barrier, panting. They boarded the train, just as it began to move.

Lily walked by, looking in the windows of the compartments. "Here's Alice!" She announced. She slid the door open and stepped in, Alex at her heels.

James looked after her and sighed to himself. He had hoped that they would sit together.

"Peter, buddy!" Sirius exclaimed. He stepped into the compartment across the corridor, Remus following him. James took one last glance at the door Lily had just closed and followed his friends.

* * *

"Hi Lily, Alex." Alice said with a smile.

"Haven't seen you since... yesterday." Alex said sarcastically.

The two girls sat down.

Alice leaned forwards. "So, how was your summer Lily? Did you and Alex stay at your parents for most of it?"

Lily's face fell immediately. Turning away and biting her lip, she said quietly, "My parents were- were killed."

Alice's eyes popped open. "What! How? When?"

Sensing that Lily wasn't going to answer, Alex said simply and effectively, "Voldemort."

Alice's turned to Lily. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Lily nodded sadly. "It's okay. You didn't know."

A few quiet and awkward moments passed. "Well, what did you do this summer?" Alice asked.

Alex smiled. "We went to the Potter's. By the end, Lily and James were looking pretty cozy..."

Alice's mouth dropped open, and said, "WHAT?" at the same time Lily protested, "Were not!"

Alex smiled mischievously. "Oh, come on. You know you like him."

"Do not!"

"Yes, you do!" Alex insisted. "I saw the way you two were looking at each other after the food fight."

"We're just friends!" Lily said hotly.

"Are not." Alex said.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Now this I have to hear." Alice said eagerly.

Alex filled her in on all the details of the summer while Lily sulked in the corner.

* * *

"So, what did you guys do over the summer?" Peter asked.

"Alex and Lily stayed a while," James said.

Peter's mouth dropped open. "No way! Lily?"

James grinned foolishly and nodded.

Peter shook his head. "Gee, I'm surprised you're still alive."

James frowned at him.

Sirius rolled his eyes at this exchange. "Oy, Prongs. Stop acting like a love-sick puppy."

James protested.

Sirius, ignoring him, went on. "While Prongs here wasn't busy making googly eyes at Lily, we worked on our new start-of-the-year prank."

Peter jumped up and down in his seat. "Oooo! What is it? Tell me!" Remus gave him a strange look.

"Well, you see, it involves Snape..."

* * *

After the Sorting was over, Dumbledore stood up. "Before we begin our feast, I would like to say a few words. As many of you have undoubtedly noticed, there is a dark force gaining power in our world. Some of our staff have left to try and help control this growing threat, including Professor Milles. She has been replaced by Professor McGovtry, here on my left. I would like to inform you that Hogwarts is one of the safest places you can be during these times. However, some of you still may be in slight danger. Let me assure you that we have taken steps to ensure your safety. The curfew is now up to nine o'clock at night, and you must stay in your common room s or dormitories until seven in the morning. All of our actions are made for your sake, so we ask that you do not complain about the effect these precautions will have on you. Thank you. Now, without further ado, please dig in!"

The plates in front of the students magically filled as the first years looked on in wonder.

Sirius took Dumbledore's words to heart, and was shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming rate.

Remus, however, was staring at his watch. He smacked James on the shoulder. "Ten seconds." He muttered.

James pulled Sirius's plate away from him, and Sirius got a mouthful of air.

"Hey!" he protested. "What's the big idea?"

"Ten seconds." James said quietly, not taking his eyes off of the Slytherin table.

Sirius mouth made a small 'o' in understanding, and he watched as well.

"Three..." Remus said.

Under the eyes of the Marauders, Snape started shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Suddenly, he jumped up and began smacking his bottom. "HOT! HOT! HOT!" He shouted.

A voice filled the Great Hall, supplied by Sirius's wand. "The Marauders are-"

"HOT!" Snape shouted.

The formerly silent Great Hall burst out in laughter. The voice continued to repeat, "The Marauders are-"

And Snape continued to answer, "HOT!"

After a few times, Dumbledore stood up while biting down a smile. He conjured a bucket of water and dumped it on Snape's bottom. The Invisible Non- Burning Fire (from Zonkos, supplied by James) went out immediately.

Sirius silenced his wand. "Will James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew please report to my office immediately following the feast?" The way Professor McGonagall said it, this was no question. Sirius nodded at her, somewhat cockily, and the feast resumed.

* * *

"I am very displeased with the way you have started the year out... again." Mcgonagall said. "Therefore, I am assigning each of you detentions for this Friday night. Separate ones, as usual."

The Marauders all nodded.

"You are dismissed."

They turned.

"Actually, James, could you stay behind for a few minutes?"

The other Marauders gave him pitied looks, and James approached McGonagall's desk. "Yes, Professor?"

"I received your owl this summer."

James nodded. "Good."

"You truly wish to switch from Seeker to Chaser, then?"

James nodded again.

"Very well. You're going to have to take that up with your captain, though."

"And who is that this year?"

There was a strange twinkle in McGonagall's eye. "You "

James's eyes lit up. "Really?" He asked.

Mcgonagall nodded. James let out a whoop and ran for the door. His hand was on the handle, when a voice came behind him.

"James? It's your choice, but you did make one bloody good Seeker." James turned back to his Professor in shock, but she was bent over her desk. "Do have a good night."

James just shook his head, and exited her office.

* * *

The next morning, breakfast flowed smoothly. Slowly, students filtered out to their first classes. The rest of the Marauders had gone up to their rooms to fetch their books, and James was alone, mulling over his schedule. Suddenly, two people stepped into his light. James looked up. "What do you want, Snivellus?" He sneered.

Snape ignored the name. "I know it was you at the feast last night, Potter."

James let out a snort. "Oh, really? You are a bright one, aren't you? Don't miss a thing."

Snape scowled at him. "That's not the point, Potter."

"Then what is the point?"

Bellatrix, standing at his side, spoke up. "The point is, now that we have nothing holding us back, we won't hesitate to get you back."

James snorted again. "Oh really? What could you ever do to me?"

"Just wait and see."

James rolled his eyes.

Bellatrix sneered cruelly. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, how has your Mudblood girlfriend been doing lately?"

James stiffened. "You wouldn't dare." He scowled.

"Oh I would." Bellatrix said evilly. "And I'd enjoy doing it."

James glanced at Lily, who was at the other end of the table. She was laughing at something Alex said, her red hair shining in the soft light. "If you touch one hair on her head..." James said in a low and deadly voice.

Snape sneered at him one last time, and the two of them strode out of the Hall, leaving a bristling James behind him, glaring at the doors. Someone appeared at his side.

"James? What's the matter?" Lily laid a soft hand on his arm. James glanced down to see her looking up at him with wide, questioning eyes.

"It's nothing," he said thickly. "Nothing at all."

Ignoring her concerned eyes, James pulled away and said, "See you in class, Lily."


	26. Rude Awakenings

Alex groggily opened one eye and groaned loudly at what she saw. "WHY are you up this early, Lily? WHY?"

Lily was dressed and singing happily while brushing her long red hair. "Because it's the first day of classes, of course!" She said, as if this was something to be excited about.

Alex groaned once more and pressed her pillow over her ears.

"What time is it?" Alice asked sleepily from her bed in the corner.

"Seven." Lily replied. "Both of you should probably get out of bed now. Breakfast starts in half an hour, you know."

Alice sighed, and sat up in bed. She rubbed her eyes, and trudged over to Alex. Yawning, she said, "Time to get up, sleepy head."

Alex groaned and turned over. "Leave me alone." She said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Why do you insist on doing this every year on the first day of school?" Alice asked in exasperation.

"Because I'm tired."

Lily smiled. "Alice, why don't you get ready. I'll take care of Alex."

Alice nodded and headed towards the bathroom and began applying make-up.

She heard a loud shriek from the adjoining room and snickered to herself. Moments later, a thoroughly soaked Alex barged into the bathroom, eyes flaming. Seeing Alice silently laughing, Alex hissed out, "Save it."

Alice walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She saw Lily, who was grinning wickedly. She caught her eyes, and both girls burst out laughing.

* * *

Eventually, all three girls made it down to breakfast. Alex was still sulking in her seat. Alice was telling Frank the events of the morning. Frank let out a loud laugh at the end of the tale.

"I still don't see what was so funny about it." Alex said grumpily.

This caused Lily to laugh as well. She looked up in time to see Snape and Bellatrix stalking away from James, who was staring after them with his jaw clenched and hands balled into fists.

"I'll be right back," she told her friends, and made her way over to his side. "James? What's the matter?" She asked, laying a hand on his tense arm.

He looked down at her, and said, "It's nothing. Nothing at all." James pulled away and said as he walked away, "See you in class, Lily."

She looked after him in confusion. Alice came up to her. "Lily? What happened?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. James is just being weird."

Alice laughed. "Since when has he been anything but that?"

Lily joined her friend in laughter, and promptly forgot about the whole encounter.

* * *

Looking at the time, Professor Slughorn wrapped up the last lesson of the day by saying, "Once again, class, I will assign an essay to be turned in to me in one week on the material we will be covering this year. You may talk until the bell." The Professor sat down, and the dark room filled with young voices.

"The full moon's in one week," Sirius whispered to James.

James nodded. "Good. I have an idea of what we should go for our next adventure."

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

"I'll tell you then."

"Why don't you tell me now?"

"Because I'm not finished."

"With what?" Sirius asked.

"You'll see." James answered.

Just then the bell rang, and James hopped out of his seat, leaving a sulking and impatient Sirius behind him.

* * *

Lily picked up her books, talking to Alice. "You sure you don't want to come to the library with me tonight?" She asked.

Alice nodded. "I'm sure. I haven't seen Frank all summer, so he's planned a romantic dinner for us in the Astronomy Tower."

Alex smiled. "Sorry, I can't go either. I've got an evening planned with Sirius, and the essay is due in a week anyways."

Lily sighed. "All right, I'll go by myself."

* * *

Lily sat back in her chair and surveyed the rest of the Gryffindors as they ate their dinner. Alice was giggling at something Frank had whispered into her ear. Peter was bent over his book, already behind in his classes, and Remus was trying to help him. Alex had a pink twinge in her cheeks from laughing at something Sirius had said, who was grinning at her wickedly. James was chewing on his quill as he skimmed a piece of parchment that was lying in front of him, apparently satisfied.

She sighed and thought to herself, _'This is how it should be.'_ After her parents' death, she had been depressed, but now she was determined to live life to the fullest, as she would have wanted her parents to had their roles been reversed. Life was to short and unpredictable to be sad for long.

Lily looked at her watch. It was a little after eight, and students were starting to leave.

"I'm going to the library, okay?"

Alex nodded absent-mindedly, and Lily left the Great Hall.

* * *

Two hours later, Lily found herself staring blankly at a page in her textbook, eyes drooping, only to realize that she had read the same page twice already. She looked at her watch and did a double take. It was already 9:15, fifteen minutes past curfew. She stood up and stretched. The library was completely empty, and the doors were locked. She guessed that Madam Pince didn't notice her, figuring that students wouldn't be in the library for long on the first day of classes.

She trudged to the door to the library, and unlocked it with a soft _"Alohomora."_ She stepped out and locked the door behind her. Lily wasn't too afraid of being caught, because Filch never started making rounds until ten.

Lily rubbed her temples and sleepily made her way along the dark but familiar path to the Gryffindor Tower. Barely keeping her eyes open, she rounded a corner and smacked into someone.

She was able to make out two figures in front of her before she was brutally shoved to the ground.


	27. It Happens

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Mudblood, Evans," a low voice drawled out. "Oh, look, you've contaminated my robes. Now I'll have to burn them." Lily felt her heart jump into her throat in fear as she barely made out the form of Evan Rosier standing above her.

"Now, what should we do to an ickle Mudblood who's out of her place? Teach her a lesson, we should." Bellatrix purred in her low, silky voice.

Lily pulled herself up to her feet and regained her voice. "Out of my place? This is a public corridor! I have as much right as anybody to be here, even you." She said in indignation.

"That's where you're wrong." Bellatrix's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're out of place by simply being here. By no right should a Mudblood such as yourself bring your filth into this school, daring to talk to your betters the disrespectful way that you do."

Rosier smirked. "What was that you said earlier, Bellatrix? About teaching the Mudblood a little lesson?"

"You wouldn't dare." Lily clenched her fists together, as if keeping a grip on her anger. She tried to recall lessons and tips from Defense Against the Dark Arts. _'Keep your cool. Don't let them know you're scared. Use everything you have. Call for help, if all else fails.'_ "You'd be caught if you tried to do anything. Filch is..." Then she paled as she remembered that Filch was probably still in his office, obsessing over plans to catch the Marauders in the act.

She became increasingly aware of the danger she was in, as she was outnumbered, tired, and presently unarmed. Lily pulled out her wand, but wasn't quick enough.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Rosier sneered.

Lily flew back and hit the wall with a painful thud. She slid down to the floor.

Panicking, she opened her mouth to scream.

"_Silencio!"_ Bellatrix said, almost lazily. Apparently Lily wasn't the only one who paid attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Lily tried to call for help, hoping against all hope that the spell had not worked, or the incantation was said wrong.

But no such luck. No sound escaped her trembling lips.

Using her last resort, Lily turned and ran. _"Locomotor Mortis!"_ Rosier hissed.

Lily's legs went stiff and she toppled over onto the floor, head- first. _"Petrificus Totalus."_ Bellatrix topped Rosier, and Lily felt her entire body go stiff. But the Slytherins weren't done with her just yet.

Rosier smirked once more. "It looks like our favorite noble Gryffindor has fallen at last."

Bellatrix began to walk towards Lily. "It would seem as if she has nowhere to go. No one to turn to. She's all alone." She smiled. "I did warn you, don't you remember? I told that I'd find you, whenever you were unarmed, and unaware. I said that one day, that time would come. And guess what?"

All Lily could do was glare at her tormentor.

"Today is that day." Bellatrix's sickeningly sweet grin grew wider. "You're all alone, and this time, no cousin of mine is going to come to your rescue. Or Potter. He thought that he could be there to save you. He thought he could protect you from me. He was wrong."

A strange feeling came over Lily. James had cared about her that much? Against her own will, that thought made her feel... almost happy. Warm inside.

The good feeling came to an abrupt end. Rosier smirked and said,_ "_Enough talking. I've waited a long time to do this, and now's my chance. _Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Lily rose quickly into the air, limbs straightened at her sides. She went higher and higher, until Rosier called out _"Finite Incantum."_ Lily went crashing into the floor, and a searing pain rushed into her shoulder. Lily was burning with anger, but Rosier wasn't done yet. She rose once more, and began to spin around, faster and faster. Lily couldn't even close her eyes to quench the nausea slowly creeping into her stomach.

Suddenly, Lily fell back to the floor with a muffled thud. Then back up. And down. Another bruise.

Bellatrix raised her own wand and pointed it at the battered body of Lily lying at her feet. _"Crucio!"_

Lily would have widened her eyes if she could at the shock of hearing the Unforgivable, before she felt her very bones being turned into liquid fire coursing through her veins. She tried to scream in agony, but couldn't open her mouth. She tried to jerk away from the curse, but she was frozen in place. The only thing that she could do was hope for an end to the pain.

"Stop it, Bellatrix," Rosier hissed. Lily froze inside herself, even grateful to Rosier for making the unbearable pain cease. Her relief was short- lived. "Do it right. I want to see her squirm." He muttered the counter curses to the Body Binds, then the pain started again. After a while...

"Evan, I'm getting bored. What's the point of playing with a broken toy?" Lily lay on the ground, panting. "Let's just kill her and be done with it."

Lily agreed with her. Anything to make the pain stop. Lily tried to focus on her attackers, but found the effort too lard, as she was seeing double. Her head was pounding, and she could feel her grip on a normal thought process slipping through her stiff fingers.

"No!" Rosier hissed forcefully. "That would be too messy. Dumbledore would be on us at an instant, and the whole backbone of our project is to scare the rest of them! No, just leave her here, as a sign, a message..."

Lily absently wondered what sort of project they could be talking about. Maybe a school project? She would have to get started...

"Fine." Bellatrix said, sticking out her lower lip. "At least the rest of the filth will know what's in store for them. But first... _Petrificus Totalus."_

Once again, Lily felt her body go completely rigid. Hearing the footsteps fade into silence, she slipped into a welcome blackness.

* * *

Disclaimer: I own everything you don't recognize from the Harry Potter books.


	28. Discovery

James yawned and sat up in bed. Looking at the alarm clock by his bed, he groaned. It was only 6:00. His thoughts dampened as he thought back to what had happened last night after dinner.

_**Flashback**_

James walked into the library, and made his way to where Lily was sitting. His heart stopped as he saw who she was talking to. Snape.

The events of the morning running around in his mind, he panicked and jumped over to her. "Leave, Snape. You're not wanted here," he said, pulling out his wand.

"James-" Lily started.

"Let me handle this, Lily."

"But James-" Lily protested.

"Not now, Lily!" James said, not taking his eyes- or wand- off of Snape, who was glaring at him with a superior smirk. "Just get out of here _now_, Snivellus."

"_James!"_ Lily stood up, eyes blazing. Using a barely controlled voice, she said, "Can I speak to you privately?"

"But Lily-" James proclaimed, still glaring at Snape.

"NOW!" James was strongly reminded of his mother when he accidentally set the library on fire. He nodded numbly, and followed her behind a bookshelf.

Lily turned on him, and hissed quietly, "What do you think you were DOING, James Harold Potter?"

James's eyes widened. "Er... saving you?"

"From what? The _horrors_ of having someone ask me about homework?" Lily's eyes turned into angry green fire.

James felt his eyes go wide. "You mean... Snape was..."

"Asking me about Potions." Lily finished for him.

"That's IT?"

"YES! So I'd like to know why you almost attacked him." Lily crossed her arms across her chest.

"Because he's a Slytherin!" James said, as if this justified everything.

"So what?"

"Listen, Lily." James began seriously. "I don't want you talking to him any more, okay?"

"And why not?" Lily's eyes blazed with such intensity that James took a nervous step backwards.

"Because... because he's evil!" James said.

Lily's face contorted with anger. "I can't believe that you can be so discriminating! I thought you'd changed! I guess one summer's not enough to change a person."

"Lily-" James croaked out.

Lily paid him no heed. "As far as I'm concerned, _Potter,_ we're back to the way it was last year."

She turned on her heel, and stormed back to her table.

_**End Flashback**_

He groaned as he recalled how foolish he'd acted last night. _'She'll probably never look at me again. She gave me a chance and I ruined it less than five days. Guess she's Evans again, and I'm Potter.'_

Trying to put those depressing thoughts behind him, he got up and got dressed.

Leaving the common room, he decided to head for the library to get an early start on his Potions essay.

James stepped out of the Fat Lady's portrait, yawning over his troubled sleep last night. He soon found himself lost in his thoughts, planning complex Quidditch plays for the upcoming practice.

He was so involved with his thoughts, however, that he paid attention to little else until he tripped over something lying in the middle of the floor and fell flat on his face.

James picked himself up and muttered, "What the..._ Evans?"_ Lily was lying on the cold, hard floor with her face turned towards James, although her crimson locks obscured her delicate features. Her wand was laying a few feet away.

He chuckled to himself. "I knew that girl was going to work herself too hard one day or another." He bent over at her side. "What are you doing just lying here? Are you- bloody Merlin!" He pushed back the fiery curls covering her face to reveal multitudes of cuts. She was unmoving, so cold... but she _couldn't_ be...

James held her wrist and with great relief detected a faint pulse. Realizing why she was so stiff, and performed the counter curse for the Body Binds under his breath, still trying to comprehend what had happened, and who could have done this. He knew that Lily Evans was not clumsy enough to hurt herself that badly.

James gently rolled Lily onto her back, and drew in a collective breath. Her once immaculate robes were torn, and there were bruises running up and down her arms. Without a second thought, he grabbed her wand and scooped Lily up in his arms.

He was painfully aware that it was LILY he was holding, but he quickly shut those thoughts out of his mind. _'This is Li- EVANS you're talking about. She hates you now, and with good reason, remember? Just forget about her.'_


	29. In the Hospital Wing

Lily groggily opened her eyes.

"Lily! Oh my gosh, Lily! You're awake! I was so worried! Are you okay?" A tear- stained Alice stood by Lily's bed, eyes red and puffy.

"I... I think so. What happened? Why am I here?" Lily rubbed her aching head, and looked around in confusion. "What's going on?"

"You- you don't remember?" Alice asked.

"No. The last thing I remember is leaving the library after I was done writing the Potions paper."

Alice looked at her in sympathy. "No one really knows what happened. You were just hurt... really bad... and now you can't remember..." It seemed as though Alice was going to start crying again.

"How did I get here?" Lily wanted to know.

Madam Pompfrey bustled into the Infirmary. "Young James Potter burst in here with you in his arms around seven this morning and nearly gave me a heart attack."

"James Potter! Are you sure?" Lily was shocked that James would even consider touching her after the way she blew up at him last night.

"Well of course I'm sure," Madam Pompfrey said. "Now drink this Potion. It will make you feel rather weak, but it will help with those nasty cuts you've got, m'dear."

Lily held the goblet and looked at the potion apprehensively. A thick brown sludge slid around in the cup. She looked at Madam Pompfrey.

"Well, go on dearie! Don't take all day!"

Lily took one last glance at the liquid, grimaced, and drained the cup.

Just then, the loud bell rang, signaling the end of the period. "Lily? I'd better go to class now. My free period is over. Will you be all right?" Alice asked.

Lily smiled. "Honestly, I'll be fine! Don't miss a class on my account. Go on."

Alice nodded and went slowly out the door with one last glance at Lily. Lily laid back in bed, feeling the Potion do its work, and tried to remember the events of last night.

"Knut for your thoughts?"

Lily jumped in bed, startled. She looked around, and saw James leaning against the wall.

"What do you want, Potter?" Lily asked, unsure whether to be angry for their argument, or grateful for his help last night.

James shrugged. "I just came to check on you, Evans. I see Madam Pompfrey gave you the Potion."

Lily nodded. James walked over and sat down in the chair next to her bed. "That potion is the worst. It makes you really weak, doesn't it." He smirked. "Not that you need a Potion to make you weak at the knees when I'm around."

Lily's eyes blazed in indignation. "Potter, honestly! You intolerable, arrogant jerk!" Lily sat up as if to slap him, then lurched to her right, feeling lightheaded from the affects of the potion. Unfortunately, that landed her in James's arms for the second time that day.

"Are you alright?" James asked, with a flicker of, god forbid, concern in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine." Lily retorted in a shaky voice. "Now, just let go of-" she let out a gasp.

"What's the matter Evans?" James asked, his cocky arrogance back. "Cat got your- oh lord."

He had turned around and saw what Lily saw earlier. Bellatrix and Snape had appeared in the doorway of the Hospital Wing, both looking extremely smug.

"What are **you** doing here?" James hissed, gently setting Lily back on the bed.

"Why, we are just here to see how our favorite little Mudblood is doing." Bellatrix said in anything but a concerned voice.

Lily felt the blood drain out of her face. "It was you, wasn't it? You attacked me last night." She strained for her wand, which was just beyond her reach on the bedside table, where Madam Pompfrey had apparently placed it.

Bellatrix's eyes lit up. "Oh look, the Mudblood doesn't remember last night's little game! Perhaps a little repetition would jolt her sad excuse for a brain."

"What did you say?" James was beside himself in anger.

Bellatrix smirked and narrowed his eyes. "I called her a Mudblood, Potter, which is just what scum like Evans deserve to be called. Don't you know that? Perhaps not, since you come from a family of Muggle- lovers. They disgrace the name of purebloods. But they'll get what's coming to them, in time. Just like this little Mudblood did."

"STOP SAYING... THAT WORD!" James roared. Lily winced, thanking Dumbledore for putting Silencing Charms on the Hospital Wing to keep any unfortunate moans of pain from disrupting classes.

"What are you going to do about it, Potter?" Snape taunted. "Simply glare at us like the coward you-"

James let his fist loose, catching Snape in the nose. Snape glared at him, shaking in fury.

"I dare you to do that again." Snape said, his voice low and deadly. Without waiting for an answer, he threw himself at James, causing both of the boys to fall to the floor. Lily saw Snape manage to punch James in the jaw, before they merely became a blur of fists blood and insults. Lily watched the fray, Bellatrix forgotten, until she heard that silky voice right by her ear.

"Never knew you liked fights, Evans."

"Actually, I'm just astounded by the stupidity of the male species." Lily said coldly. "How daft can you get, fighting in the Hospital Wing? Madam Pompfrey-"

"Is at a staff meeting." Bellatrix cut in smoothly. "It seems as though you've forgotten your place, Mudblood, speaking about someone above your rank like that. Perhaps you need another lesson. You apparently don't remember the last one. Maybe... yes. The one I used last night will do. I just learned it. You should be proud, being my first victim. It's called the Cruciatus Curse."


	30. Redemption

Sirius kicked the floor in pent up anger, causing several of the surrounding studying students to glare at him, only to have their eyes dart back when they realized who he was. _'Where IS James? That bloke was supposed to meet me here in the common room fifteen minutes ago! Where could he be?'_ They had been planning to raid Professor Slughorn's Potions cabinet during the school's staff meeting to get some of the ingredients James needed for his 'secret project.'

Sirius frowned and racked his brains. James had left the Gryffindor Tower early, he was sure of that, and came back looking all nervous to tell Alex and Alice something about Evans. _'Isn't she in the Hospital Wing or something? That's probably where I'll find James,'_ Sirius thought. _'The poor guy doesn't even realize how smitten he really is.'_

Sirius quickly walked out of the common room, much to the relief of his distracted peers, and headed for the Hospital Wing. On his way, he spotted a group of pretty Hufflepuff girls passing by, and flashed them his trademark winning smile. The girls visibly swooned, and Stephanie Robins accidentally ran right into a miffed suit of armor as she tried (and failed) to catch his eye. Sirius chuckled to himself as soon as he was out of hearing range. It worked every time. _'Who cares if I'm attached? I've still got it.'_

He finally arrived at the entrance to the Hospital Wing, trying to decide whether to take Alex to the Three Broomsticks or the newly opened Madam Pudifoot's on their upcoming first Hogsmeade visit.

But all of those thoughts drained out of his mind at once, as he stood frozen in the doorway, a horrible scene in front of him. Two boys (he could only assume that they were James and some nasty Slytherin git) were throwing punches at each other while rolling around on the floor.

But what really made his blood turn into liquid ice was the terrible sight of his demented cousin standing over a tired, and obviously terrified Evans, wearing a maniacal grin that he remembered all too well.

After a few moments, he finally regained control of his senses, and he grabbed for his wand as Bellatrix raised hers, hoping that he wasn't too late.

"_Stupefy!"_ Sirius roared. A jet of red light shot out of his wand and hit his shocked cousin squarely in the chest. She fell onto the floor with a thud. He had gotten her just in time. Being the idiot that she was born to be, Bellatrix had savored her moment of power over Lily for just a tad too long.

His thoughts turned to Lily. Had Bellatrix been able to do anything beforehand? If so, he would only blame himself. "Evans, are you all right? Did she do anything to you?" Serious for once, Sirius was plainly anxious.

Lily took a deep and shaky breath. "I- I'm fine. You stunned her before she could do anything. But Ja- Potter..." She gestured exasperatedly towards James, who was still tumbling around the room, gaining steadily on Snape.

Sirius looked on nervously, obviously wondering about how to break up the fight between them, before the staff meeting was over.

Lily saw this, and said, "Just hand me my wand. It's on the table over there."

Sirius nodded obligingly and leaned over to pick it up, curious to see what she could do to make the two angry boys separate.

Lily took her wand and pointed it and the blurry fight. _"Separatus!"_ James and Snape flew away from each other with a loud bang.

James's glasses were broken, dangling off of his ears. Snape, who was obviously worse off, was sporting a bloody nose and what seemed to be the beginning of a black eye. Both eyed each other warily, until Sirius stepped in between them. "Are you two nuts? Fighting in the middle of the Hospital Wing! I'm not saying that I disapprove..." He paused. "Quite the opposite, in fact. It's just... in broad daylight! How daft can you get? Madam Pomfrey will be here any minute!" He glared at the Slytherin. "Now, Snape. Why don't you get that scum of my cousin and crawl back into the hole you came from?"

Snape scowled at Sirius, but there was nothing he could do. He was unarmed, and there were two wands pointing at him, and his only comrade was knocked out. He pulled out his own wand slowly, pointed it at Bellatrix, and muttered, _"Ennervate."_

Bellatrix stirred and sat up, before Snape grabbed her wand and pulled her out of the silent Hospital Wing, whispering in her ear as they went along.

Before they were out of view, Lily caught Bellatrix's eyes and shivered. They were full of pure malice.

After an uncomfortable moment, Sirius cleared his throat. "Er... Prongs? We have some, er," his eyes darted to Lily, "...business to do, remember?"

James started. "Oh yeah, right. Sorry I forgot, but I was a bit... distracted."

Sirius snorted. "I'll say," he muttered loudly.

James shuffled his feet in embarrassment, until he heard Lily's soft, wavering voice. "Er... James?" Lily said quietly.

James's eyes widened; he thought that Lily would be even madder at him for fighting than she was before. _'Did she just call me James?'_

Lily looked down, and quietly said, "Thanks."

"Oh! No problem at all, Lily!" He was shocked. Did Lily just THANK him?

"And by the way..." Lily said, a slight giggle escaping her mouth, _"Oculous Reparo."_

The broken glasses that had ridiculously been hanging down on James ears flew up, repaired themselves, and settled back on his nose.

James smiled. "Thanks!" Sirius cleared his throat impatiently, and James winced. He had forgotten about his friend. "Well, er, bye."

Lily smiled at him.

James walked out of the Hospital Wing, puzzled thoughts running through his head, not even interrupted by Sirius's exclamation of, "What in MERLIN'S beard was all that about?" James had no answer.


	31. Birth of the Map

Lily squirmed nervously in her plushy chair. Dumbledore was looking at her with his hands steepled, and his eyes lost their usual sparkle. "Now, tell me, Miss Evans. Did you get a good look at your attackers?"

Lily, not meeting his solemn eyes, replied, "You see, I don't know, Professor."

Dumbledore questioned her with his eyes. Lily continued, "I don't remember a thing about the whole incident, but I'm positive that it was Bellatrix Black. She tried to curse me in the Hospital Wing, too."

Dumbledore nodded. "Those are very grave accusations, Miss Evans. And Miss Black, Mr. Snape, and Mr. Potter will indeed be punished for fighting on school grounds. The only problem is that, as you yourself said, you have no recollection of that night."

Lily's eyes widened, and she lifted her head. "But, Professor! Bellatrix as good as told me that it was her!"

Dumbledore stood up and walked to the window. "Nevertheless, I cannot base punishment on so little evidence."

Lily remained silent, aware of the fact that Dumbledore was deep in thought. He stared into the swirling mist outside, until the door burst open.

* * *

"So, James, how is this supposed to work again?" Sirius asked in doubt.

The four Marauders were hunched over a table in the very room where they had become Animagi a year before.

Remus was scratching a design of Hogwarts into the large, yellow parchment before him, while James supervised.

"When the map of Hogwarts is done, I'll pour this Animation Potion on top of it." James held up a vial of blue potion he had made from the ingredients he 'borrowed' from Professor Milles two days ago. "It will cause the map to 'come alive,' and will show us where everyone is at the time. And when you, Sirius, have added in all of the secret passageways and passwords, I'll put this Replicis Potion on it." He held up a second vile of orange liquid. "That will let the map update itself whenever something changes, basically whenever someone takes a step."

Peter's eyes were wide in amazement, but Sirius had taken on a look of excitement at the possibilities opening up before them.

"And for the crowning touch," James said proudly, "I'm going to add a Protection Charm on the whole thing when it's completed, so not just anyone can look at it."

Just then, Remus looked up. "It's done." He said, grinning.

"Excellent!" James exclaimed. "Peter, will you do the honor of pouring the Animation Potion on?"

Peter stepped forwards, trembling with the excitement of taking part in this project. He accepted the vile from James, and poured the potion on the map, and some of the table.

Sirius bounced over, and began to assign passwords to different places on the map. After a quite a few impatient minutes, he was done. Peter poured the last potion on.

James hunched over the parchment, pointed his wand, and whispered softly, "_Proctapass_." Glancing at his friends looking on eagerly, he grinned. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Sirius sniggered, and Remus elbowed him in the ribs. Completing the spell, James said, "Mischief managed." The map let out a soft yellow glow. James quickly grabbed the quill, dipped it in green ink, and wrote in large, fancy script:

_Messers. Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs _

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers _

_are proud to present _

_The Marauder's Map_

As soon as he placed the quill back on the table, the glow faded from the map, leaving a blank piece of parchment in front of them.

"Oh no!" Peter exclaimed. "It didn't work! All that work for-"

James cut him off by holding up a finger. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

With bated breath, the Marauders looked on, until ink finally started flowing across the parchment, as if James was writing the message all over again.

Sirius was the first to start cheering. It caught on, and soon all four boys were laughing, slapping each other on the back, and yelling at each other. Remus glanced at the map once more and paled.

"McGonagall's coming! Hide!"

The boys dove into the closet, but James stopped. "The map!" he whispered. He turned and sprinted the short distance to the table, and said quickly, "Mischief managed."

The map cleared the moment Professor McGonagall opened the door.

"Mr. Potter!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw him. "Just what do you think you are doing?"

James looked at the floor guiltily. "Well, Professor, I was..."

"None of your excuses, Potter! I have told you time and time again that the unused classrooms are out of limits! This is the third time this week, and the second time today!"

"Yes, Professor. I'll never do it again."

"Too right you won't, Potter! The Headmaster will see to that!" Professor pointed at the door.

When he didn't move, McGonagall sighed heavily, grabbed James by the arm, and marched him out of the room.

* * *

Lily turned in her seat to see Professor McGonagall drag James into Dumbledore's office.

"Headmaster?" Professor McGonagall asked. "May I have a word?"

Dumbledore nodded, and the two teachers went into a side room. After the door was shut, Lily looked at the floor.

"So, why are you here, Evans?" James asked.

"Why do you think, Potter?" Lily answered, determined not to meet his eyes.

"Oh." James said, nodding.

An uncomfortable silence set in. Lily and James continued to ignore each other, until the door reopened.

"Well, Mr. Potter, it seems as though you are racking up misdemeanors these days," Dumbledore announced as he sat back down. "Professor McGonagall has just informed me that you have been sneaking around in restricted areas all week. And then there is the matter of your fight in the Hospital Wing- no, please don't protest, I know you were provoked. That does not change the fact that you fought another student... rest assured, Mr. Snape and Miss Black will be punished. Now, I believe we can somehow combine these punishments into a single detention with Mr. Filch, tomorrow night? Yes? Well, then,I suppose the two of you better be off. Wouldn't want to miss dinner now, would we?"

James looked significantly happier that he had gotten off easy, while Lily seemed a little upset that Bellatrix was not to be expelled. But she supposed she couldn't fault Dumbledore for that. "Come on Potter. Let's go eat."

* * *

A/N: So I thought I'd better explain the LJ relationship flip flops here. Obviously, the two of them are at a turning point. Lily is trying to get past James's flaws, but he keeps messing up a little, and she keeps blowing it slightly out of proportion. Then he does something sweet, and she doesn't know what to think anymore. The dynamic changes at their every interaction, and there is way too much going on in her life to analyze it fully right now. James doesn't know where he stands with Lily, and that can make him either moody or cocky, as seen previously.


	32. Lily's Date

The next day, Lily unhappily found herself sitting in the otherwise empty Quidditch stands, watching the Gryffindor team tryouts. Since Alex was trying out, she had to be there for moral support.

She watched as James snatched the Quaffle out of midair, and shot towards the goal. The Keeper hopeful, Frank, dove for the flying red ball, but just missed. Lily sighed. Frank had caught every shot so far, except for James's of course. She was shaken from her thoughts as someone sat down beside her.

"Hey Lily." Amos Diggory said.

Lily turned and smiled. Amos was a nice guy, a year older than her, in Ravenclaw. "Hey Amos. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was taking a walk, and I saw you all by yourself. I thought you could use some company."

Lily laughed. "Your concern is appreciated."

"So why are you here?" asked Amos.

Lily shrugged. "Alex badgered me into it. Something about being a good friend and supporting her. I don't know why she needs me here. She has more self confidence than all of Gryffindor has... except for Potter of course."

"I see. What did you think about that Potions assignment?" Amos inquired.

The two of them talked for two more hours, laughing and having a good time. Before they realized it, darkness had fallen over Hogwarts. Lily could see the Quidditch Captain giving the final announcements to the team. She turned to Amos.

He checked his watch. "I should probably get going know." He said, almost regretfully.

Lily smiled. "Thanks for talking to me. I haven't laughed that hard for a while."

"No problem Lily." Amos smiled. "It was fun."

Lily leaned back to rest against the stands. "Yeah, it was."

Amos turned to leave. As he reached the stairs, he paused and turned again. "Hey, Lily? Would you want to get together again?"

Lily smiled. "Of course."

"How about this weekend, in Hogsmeade?" Amos asked.

"I'd like that." Lily answered.

With one last smile, Amos left, and not a moment too soon. James flew his broom down next to Lily.

"How did it go?" Lily asked.

James grinned. "I made the team!" He frowned. "Actually, I was already on it, but now I'm a Chaser. Frank's got Keeper as well, and Alex and Sirius are our Beaters. They'll be great... provided they can keep their hands off each other during a match." He looked down at the field, where Sirius and Alex were in a fierce argument over something considering how to hit a Bludger, considering the way they were twirling them around. "Or if they can keep from killing each other," James added. "Want to go catch dinner before the Great Hall closes?"

Lily nodded, and they set off for the castle.

From under the bleachers, the spy sent to scout out the Gryffindor team smiled. _'So the Mudblood managed to get a date. That certainly is interesting news.'_


	33. Fighting Over Dates

A few days passed without event. James and Lily were sitting in their common room once more with the rest of their friends. Lily was nervous, because she had not yet told anyone about Amos. She was oddly nervous about mentioning this to James, who had somehow got it in his head that they'd be walking around together during the visit.

"Hey Lily?" James asked suddenly. "You're going to Hogsmeade this afternoon, right?"

"Yes, I am." Lily answered, a bit hesitantly.

James smiled. "Great. Where do you want to go? I was thinking of going to Honeydukes first, then-"

"I think Amos actually wanted to go someplace else..." Lily cringed inside. She knew what was coming next.

James's eyebrow twitched. "Amos? Amos who? Diggory? What does Diggory have to do with anything?"

"Well... you see... he kind of... asked me on a date." Her last words came out in a bit of a rush.

James jumped up in a blaze of anger. "DIGGORY!" He exploded. "Diggory! That git! He asked you on a DATE! How COULD he! How could YOU! With HIM! I-I- ARGH!"

Lily was on her feet now, too, her emerald eyes flashing as they once had. "What are you, my- my MOTHER?" Her voice shook and cracked slightly. "Who gave you the right to dictate what I do? Who do you think you are, going on like that about Amos? What's he ever done to you?"

James glared at her. How DARE Lily talk as if he didn't care about her? "I don't want you to see him." He said, his voice low and deadly.

"I WILL see him, POTTER, this afternoon, and nothing you can do can stop me!" Lily spat.

James took another step forward. The two were so close that they were almost touching. "You know what, Evans? Fine. Go and have a swell time with Diggory. But don't come crying to me when he turns out to be a big prat."

Lily looked up into the burning hazel eyes that towered above her, and glared back. "YOU'RE the prat Potter, remember?" James turned on his heel and stormed out of the Gryffindor common room in a rush. "And good riddance." She whispered under her breath. An emotion crept up inside her chest, one that Lily recognized. _'NO! I am NOT disappointed about Potter. I'm MUCH better off without him.'_ But as she walked up the stairs to her dormitory to prepare for her date with Amos, she couldn't help but notice how hollow she felt inside.

* * *

Amos waited patiently at the entrance to the Great Hall, where he was supposed to meet Lily.

He felt a light tapping on his shoulder. Turning, expecting to see his date, he was instead met with someone's fast-moving fist.

That someone dragged the unconscious boy into a broom closet close by.

Less than a minute later, Amos Diggory stepped out of the closet, exactly as before, and just in time. A pretty redhead had just stepped off of the winding stairs. "You ready to go, Lily?" the boy asked.

Lily smiled. "Of course, Amos. Where to first?"

Amos's smile grew. "What do you say we skip Hogsmeade? I know this great, beautiful place we could go to instead."

Lily shrugged. "It's all the same to me."

"Great," Amos said. Taking Lily's arm a little harder than she would have liked, he led her outside, towards the trees.

When they reached the forest's edge, Lily stared at the towering trees in apprehension. "The forest? Are you sure, Amos?"

Amos nodded. "It's perfectly safe. We're only going a little way in."

Lily hesitated only for a moment, and then followed Amos into the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

James was still fuming as he stalked around the castle. Grumbling, he muttered to himself, "Why should I care? She's probably happy in his arms right now, having a dandy time." This only served to make him angrier.

Banging his toe on a wall, James cursed. He looked up and noticed that he had stopped near the Great Hall. He thought of going away, but a thumping from nearby stopped him. Curious, James followed the thuds until he reached a small broom cupboard. Praying that he had not just found a couple snogging, he threw the door open.

Amos Diggory stumbled out, rubbing a welt on his temple. James resisted the urge to slam the door back on his face. "What are you doing here, Diggory." He spat out instead. "Shouldn't you be with Evans?"

Amos looked at him, confused. "I was supposed to be, about-" he checked his watch. "Ten minutes ago, but someone knocked me out."

"What are you saying?" James asked slowly.

"I'm saying that that girl is probably more trouble than she's worth." Amos said angrily. "Now if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go to the Hospital Wing."

James glared at Amos Diggory's back in disgust. Lily was better off without him. Much better off.

James started to walk away, but a thought stopped him abruptly. If Diggory was still in the castle, where was Lily?

Eyes wide, James bolted off towards the Gryffindor Tower. As he accidentally shoved several students out of the way, he barely had enough time to say that he was sorry.

He reached the portrait of the Pink Lady hardly out of breath. Quidditch had kept him in top condition. "Foxtail!" He yelled, causing the surrounding Gryffindors to look at him quite strangely.

"As you say, dear," the Pink Lady said mildly, and swung open. James bolted inside, and darted up the stairs to the sixth year boys' dormitory. He reached his trunk with lightning speed, threw it open, and started digging inside. "Where IS it?" He muttered to himself. He tossed the contents of his trunk around the room, not bothering to note where they fell. At long last, he pulled a piece of yellowed parchment out. "Got it!" He cried in triumph.

He quickly muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Instantly, James's own writing flooded across the page. He watched as the lines appeared on the page, muttering, "Lily, Lily. Where ARE you, Lily?"

At last he found the dot he was looking for. His heart froze as he took in the surrounding marks. "What on earth is she doing in THERE with a guy like HIM?"

He answered himself and replied, "No good, that's what. She could be in trouble."

With no further hesitation, he snatched his Invisibility Cloak and threw it around his shoulders, and ran towards the forest, and towards Lily.


	34. In the Forest

The boy grinned as he pulled Lily further into the forest. "Just a little bit more." He said to the girl behind him. The two of them had been walking in the woods for almost a half hour.

Lily nodded, even though Amos wouldn't be able to see her from back there. '_Amos is acting very strangely.'_ She thought. _'What is he up to? He'd better not get us in trouble for being here. I think there's a reason why this place is called the FORBIDDEN Forest.'_

They passed through a few more brambles, until Amos abruptly halted and spun towards Lily, still gripping her arm. "We're here." He announced.

Lily looked around her in dismay. The pair was at the entrance to a dark cave. The sunlight barely made its way through the trees, providing a grim and shadowy atmosphere. Bushes rustled ominously all around them, and trees swayed in a wind Lily hadn't noticed. She shivered and pulled her cloak more firmly around her shoulders. "Are you sure, Amos?"

Amos grinned. "Oh, I'm sure."

Lily's frown deepened. _'What's gotten into him?'_ "Are you okay? You've been acting a little strangely lately."

Roughly, Amos said, "Shut up, Mudblood." Lily gasped in indignation and shock. He gripped her other arm painfully, and pushed her up against a tree.

"Amos!" Lily cried. "What are you doing?"

Amos didn't answer except to grin at Lily evilly. Lily increasingly became aware of how much danger she could be in. Amos was clearly not himself, and they were far away from anyone else, should help be needed.

Real fear began to seep into her bones as Amos tried to grab her arms with one hand. Lily began to struggle, but she was no match for the sheer size of Amos. He easily held both of her hands and reached into his back pocket to grab his wand. Lily sank against the large tree on her back, trying to get away from the crazed look that haunted Amos's eyes. The look that haunted his once gray eyes...

Lily gasped as the Amos in front of her started to melt. Unfortunately, his features mainly faded into those of a boy she knew...

"_You._" Lily accused.

"You'd better believe it, Mudblood." Rodolphus Lestrange spat.

"What are you doing here?" Lily exclaimed.

Lestrange smirked. "A good friend of mine let me back into the castle, where I knocked out your pretty little boyfriend. A little Polyjuice Potion goes a long way. It was obviously supposed to last longer, but the bloke who made it must have messed it up somehow." He scowled at Lily for a moment, as if this was all her fault.

Lily was flabbergasted. "But- _why?_"

Lestrange's face darkened even further. "For many reasons, Evans. You've proved to be a big inconvenience to us and our cause all through school, as has Potter. And now we have the perfect way to remove that little thorn from our side..."

His fingers worked their way to her throat, tightening their hold. Lily choked as her air supply was cut off, as she gasped for air. She could feel the hopeless tears begin to fall freely from her eyes. She would never see Alice or Alex again. Her tears grew into fearful sobs. She would never again laugh at the pranks of Sirius, Remus, Peter... or Potter... all thanks to the bastard standing in front of her...

A surge of anger flared up inside of Lily, and with it, a burst of strength. She struggled to lift her leg, which had become a whole lot heavier, and kicked Lestrange with all of the force she could muster.

His smirking face contorted into one of pain as he grabbed between his legs. Lily flung herself away from Lestrange, but he had not yet let go of her. Lily's robes ripped as she came crashing down on the forest floor.

Her throat throbbed, as did her head. Lestrange seemed to have gotten over his pain somewhat, and advanced on Lily, eyes flashing. "Why, you little wench!" He yelled, raising his hand.

* * *

James bolted out of the doors and ran across the sprawling lawn as fast as his legs would let him. He quickly found the trampled down branches and twigs where Lily and Lestrange had probably come through, and he pelted into the trees.

His heart pounded, but not from the exercise. He was afraid... deathly afraid for Lily. He was supposed to be with her, supposed to prevent her from being around the type of person she was with now. It wasn't just his conscience bothering him though... he knew he liked Lily as more than a friend. It was entirely his fault that she could be in danger... he should have kept a closer eye on her...

James pushed himself harder, faster. His mind told him that Lily could be with Lestrange willingly, but his guts, and common sense, told him otherwise. Lily could be hurt, or worse...

With an abrupt halt, James stared at the clearing before him for a split second before reacting. Lestrange was towering over a terrified looking Lily, his hand held as if he was about to hit her. A strange anger grew inside James, boiling in his eyes. He ran forwards, dropping the Invisibility Cloak behind him. He burst out of the bushes, and pummeled into Lestrange. The boy that was two years older than him let out a sharp breath of surprise. James didn't give him time to react, and punched Lestrange as hard as he could, wherever he could. It wasn't long before he himself was hit in the arm, but that was the first and last time he was scathed. Lestrange soon found himself not able to fight back against pure anger, and shoved James off of himself.

Not willing to get back into a fight he couldn't win, Lestrange sprinted as fast as he could into the forest, blood pouring from cuts on his face. James made to go after him, but a small choking noise from near the tree made him turn around. Lily was still on the ground, her legs pulled into her chest. Tears were pouring from those emerald eyes James loved so much. Taken over by heart-wrenching concern, James rushed for her.

Kneeling by her side, James softly whispered, "Lily? Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

Lily tried to answer, but only a rasping sound escaped her mouth. Unable to talk, she gestured towards the red finger marks on her throat, starting to bruise. James's eyes flashed at the swollen shape of her slender neck and her ripped robes.

"That little bastard." James growled. He slowly helped Lily to her feet. "Can you walk?" he asked her tenderly.

Lily nodded, and took a shaky step forwards. The little step however, threw her off step, and she started to teeter on the ground. In a flash, James was by her side.

He slipped a comforting hand around her waist. Feeling her cold shivers, James draped his warm cloak over her shoulders as well. He picked the Invisibility Cloak up off of the ground and slid the thin material into the back pocket of his robes.

Lily cuddled up to James, needing his support to walk.

Quietly, with the silent tears running down Lily's cheeks, the pair slowly made its way back to the castle.

* * *

By the time Lily and James reached Hogwarts, Lily had stopped crying. With a little hesitation, James opened the door to the castle. Most students had gone to Hogsmeade, but the few left threw strange looks at the girl and boy walking in. Some of the Slytherins smirked and opened their mouths. James shot them a single defiant glare, daring them to say anything. They swallowed nervously and looked away.

When they came upon an empty stretch of corridor, James gently asked Lily, "Do you want to go to the Hospital Wing or the common room?"

Lily mutely raised a finger, and pointed towards the Gryffindor Tower. James nodded at Lily's decision, and helped her up the winding stairs. Lily seemed to be gaining energy with every step. When they reached the common room, James grimly looked at the girls' stairs, which would shriek if he stepped foot on them. "Can you get up there by yourself?" He asked.

Lily bit her lip and shook her head sadly.

"Do you want to wait in the common room?" James asked.

Lily violently shook her head at the prospect of everyone coming back from Hogsmeade to see her looking like a mess.

James sucked his breath in. "Well, then there's one other option, but you're going to have to trust me."

Lily nodded slowly. James took a big, nervous breath, and led Lily up to the boys' dormitories. Lily's eyes widened as she saw where they were going, but allowed herself to be brought up the stairs.

She automatically wrinkled her nose at the messy state of the room. Lily sat down on one of the unmade beds as James turned around to put something back in his trunk.

As soon as she sat down, Lily noticed how exhausted she was. Without pausing to think, Lily slipped down and into a restful sleep.

"Whenever you're ready Lily, we can go back down-" James turned to find Lily asleep, coincidently, in his bed. He smiled to himself and tucked her in. He stood back up, and immediately noticed how drained he was. He had enough time to grab a pillow and blanket before he fell asleep on the floor alongside his bed, and Lily.


	35. Through the Night

Alex sighed happily and looked up at the stars from her position of lying on the ground. Actually, they weren't really stars, as she was inside. Sirius had taken her to a secret room instead of going to Hogsmeade. It was almost as if they were outside, under the bright stars, and Alex could swear that she felt a breeze pass over her face.

She turned around, which slightly harder than normal, as Sirius's firm arms were wrapped around her waist. His face was buried in her long her as he slept. Alex smiled as she poked him in the side. She watched as he quickly woke up.

Sirius opened his eyes to see Alex grinning at him mischievously. "Oh, you're going to pay for that." he said wickedly. "I was having a good dream!"

Alex squealed as Sirius flipped over, so he was on top of her. His black hair fell over his eyes as he started to tickle the squirming girl underneath him. "No! Stop!" Alex yelled, laughing. "It- tickles- Sirius!" Her sapphire eyes shone as she looked up at Sirius, begging for mercy.

Sirius stopped, amused. Alex stopped squirming, and looked up at him. Sirius announced, "Now for the rest of your punishment..."

Alex's eyes widened as he pinned her arms to her sides. "Sirius? What are you doing?" She was slightly panicked, as she knew what methods Sirius was capable of.

Sirius dipped his head lower, lower... The devilish smile still graced his face. Alex looked up, her eyes meeting his dark ones, until their lips touched. Alex shivered as she felt the familiar lightning cackle in her eyes. Sirius's hands worked down to the side of her face, gently caressing her soft cheeks. Alex slipped her hands around his neck, holding him closer. They stayed close all through the night, as the artificial half moon rose, and set in the horizon.

Sirius groggily opened one eye, and saw waves of gold in front of him. He blinked, and the sight became clearer. Alex was lying next to him, her arms holding his, which was wrapped around her waist. His other hand was tangled in her hair.

He smiled as he gazed at Alex's peaceful sleeping form. Sirius shook her gently. "Alex." He whispered. "We should go now. The others will be wondering where we are."

Alex stirred and nodded. "You're right." She said. "Let's go."

The pair made their way along the dim hallways towards the Gryffindor common room.

"You think we should just go to our beds and pretend we were there the whole night?" Alex suggested.

Sirius nodded, and they shared one more 'good-night' kiss. Alex smiled and yawning, went up to her dorm. Sirius looked after her before going up to his own dormitory. Not wanting to turn on the lights and wake anyone up, Sirius made his way to his bed at the far end of the room in the dark. That was, until he went sprawling after tripping on a large lump lying on the floor.

"What the bloody- Prongs?" Indeed, Sirius had tripped over James's once sleeping body. "What are you doing down here?"

James groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Down- oh. About that. You see, I- er-" He desperately tried to think of an excuse that wouldn't give Lily away. Involuntarily, his eyes flicked to her, and his bed.

Sirius caught the glance and looked in the bed before James could stop him. "EVANS-" He started to say loudly.

James groaned again and yanked Sirius back down so he was sitting on the floor. Sirius looked at him, eyes wide. "What in the bloody- Why is EVANS in YOUR bed?" He hissed.

James rubbed his eyes. "It's not what you think, Padfoot, so you can stop thinking your dirty thoughts."

Sirius looked at him expectantly, still waiting impatiently for an answer. James saw this and groaned. Sirius could be as stubborn as a dog that's gotten a hold of something when he wanted to. "You see, she was pretty shaken up after... something... last night, and she didn't want to go up to her dorm alone."

Sirius started to make a noise, but James shook his head. "No, Padfoot, I'm not going to tell you what all happened. That's Lily's choice, not mine."

Sirius let out a "humph" and stood up. "If that's the way you want it, mate. But I swear, you're off the deep end with that girl. It isn't healthy to be that smitten with someone."

James smirked. "Is that so? Well, then I guess the reason that you are just now coming in has nothing to do with a certain blonde girl?"

Sirius flushed, and muttered something about hexing Slytherins. James shook his head and chuckled.

Little did the two Marauders know, but they were not the only ones not asleep. A pretty redhead girl lay still, but wide awake, unable to forget what Sirius had said about a certain raven haired boy still being smitten...


	36. The Morning After

The Marauders were in their 'lab' once again. "Okay, so we need a big prank." Sirius stated. "I think we've been slacking lately, as only one big prank has been pulled so far this year."

Peter nodded. "I agree. We need something big."

Remus sighed. "We all know, Peter, which is why Sirius already said that."

James appeared to be deep in thought. "Hey, guys?" He asked. "I have an idea. What do you say we get Amos Diggory?" Although it had been someone under the Polyjuice Potion, James still wasn't able to get the image of Diggory strangling Lily out of his head. Even worse, it had been Diggory who had asked Lily out in the first place.

Sirius nodded slowly. "That could work, if we time it right. Are we trying to humiliate or harm?"

"Just humiliate." Remus interjected. "We've done enough harm in the last couple years."

James looked slightly downcast, but reluctantly agreed. "Okay, but only if we bring one more person into it."

"Who is it? Who is it?" Peter asked eagerly.

"That twisted girlfriend of Rodolphus Lestrange. Bellatrix."

Sirius looked much happier at the thought of bringing his family into it and utterly embarrassing them. "Alright, I agree, so let's do it!"

Remus raised an eyebrow. "We should do this just because you agree to?"

"Of course." Sirius said impatiently. "Now come on! We need ideas for the actual prank!"

Remus smiled. "I vote that we do one that we've done plenty of times before, just for old times sake."

Peter looked at him. "What prank? I don't know what you're talking about?"

"That could work." Sirius said slowly. "But it has to be in front of the whole school, maybe at dinner. And we'll need the right dialogue before and after, to complete the effect."

James nodded. "I think I've got something in mind that should work well, considering the… er… nature of the prank."

Peter looked from one Marauder to another. "What prank is this again? I can't remember…" But the other Marauders weren't paying much attention.

Sirius clapped his hands together. "Okay, so tomorrow after breakfast. We''l get 'em with the oldest prank in the book. They'll get what's coming to them."

Peter sighed. "I still don't know what's going on."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily awoke to the sun streaming in through the windows. She rubbed her eyes and slowly got out of bed. The boys had apparently already left the dorm, as she was all alone. Lily looked into a mirror hanging on a wall, probably hung out of Sirius's vanity, and smiled faintly as she noticed that the swelling in her neck had gone down considerably, and the color was almost back to normal.

Lily walked down the stairs tentatively, not wanting anyone to see her. Although no one from her grade was in the common room, several first years stared in shock at the sight of a prefect coming out of the boys' dormitories. Hastily, Lily blurted out, "Surprise inspections." The group just looked at her, as most first years tended to do, then turned back to their work.

She made her way up back to her own dorm room, and peeped in the door. Lily sighed. As usual, her two friends were wasting away a perfectly good morning by sleeping. However, it worked out for her this once.

Pushing the door open, she grabbed a turtleneck from her trunk, to hide her bruises. Lily didn't really want anyone to know what had happened to her last night. At least, not yet.

In the bathroom, Lily's two years as a make-up artist in Muggle summer-school programs were put to use as she hid bruises, paleness, and bags. She looked into the mirror with approval. She looked pretty much normal.

A sudden pounding came at the door. Lily quickly opened it to reveal a frowning Alex. "You know, other people do have to use this bathroom too." She informed Lily.

Lily grinned. "And yet you fail to remember your own daily two hours spent in here."

Alex crossed her arms. "Very funny. Care to let me in?"

Lily stepped aside. "As you wish- hold on!" When Alex passed, she had exposed her neck to Lily. "Is that a _hickey_!"

The accused grinned happily as she inspected her reflection in the mirror. "Yeah." Alex sighed dreamily.

"Alex," Lily chided. "What on earth were you doing last night?"

"I was… with Sirius." Alex replied.

"All night?"

Alex shifted uncomfortably. "Well, not _exactly."_

Lily sighed heavily. "You can't just throw yourself at every boy who presents himself to you, even Sirius."

"You don't understand Lily," Alex began. "Sirius is different than the rest. He's special. He makes me feel happier than I've ever felt before, draws out parts of me that I didn't know existed. Just being with him is magical. I can't imagine life without him."

"Alex, I think you're diving into this relationship." Lily said nervously. "I mean, you're only sixteen. Don't you think that's a little young to have found someone to just devote yourself to?"

Alex turned to her. "No. I love him Lily. More than I've ever loved anyone before."

Lily started. "Love? That's… that's a big word, Alex."

"I know. And I mean it. When you find someone you love, it's exciting and dangerous and amazing. Some people are just MEANT for each other, you know? Sirius and me. Alice and Frank. You and… well… Potter."

Lily stuttered, "Potter! What does- He and I- We- No- You- What!"

Alex grinned. "Yes, you and James. Lily Potter. That does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Amid Lily's sputters, Alex forced her out of the room. Lily was still in shock as Alice blearily rubbed her eyes from her bed. "Lily? What's going on?"

"LILY POTTER IS NOT A NICE NAME!" Lily yelled, and stomped down the stairs.

Alice stared after her in a dazed state of confusion. Alex opened the bathroom door as soon as she deemed it safe.

"What was THAT about?" Alice questioned.

Alex giggled. "Lily and James."

"Oh." Alice nodded, and a few seconds passed. "Lily Potter does sound nice, doesn't it?"

Alex nodded seriously, before breaking out in peals of laughter.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Ok, just thought I'd remind you all: Lily does NOT know that James likes her. She still thinks it was a prank at the end of their fifth year. She is in denial, as well.


	37. Talks and Flashbacks

**Warning! Mushiness ahead! You might want to reread Chapter 14- the beginning of 16 before reading this. Enjoy!

* * *

**

Lily stormed down the stairs and into the common room, as James was just coming in the portrait door with his other three friends. Seeing him brought many confused thoughts into her head, stopping her in her tracks. Did James really like her? He hadn't denied it last night. Did James expect her to behave differently towards him now? She would, of course, but she wasn't sure of the nature of the change. Lily considered dashing back up the stairs, but he had already spotted her.

"Hey Lily!" He called. "Ready to go to breakfast?"

Lily swore softly under her breath. After her involuntary eavesdropping last night, she wasn't sure if she was absolutely ready to face James Potter yet. She swallowed nervously, quenched her fears, and followed James outside the portrait, not meeting any of her house-mates' eyes.

Once she was sure that the door was firmly closed behind them, she said quietly, "James? Could we talk for a minute?"

James shrugged. "Why not? What about?" A student walked passed the pair on the way to breakfast.

"In private?" Lily requested. James nodded again, grabbed Lily's arm, and pulled her into a nearby broom closet before she could protest.

Lily looked at the dim, swaying light, and shifted uncomfortably. That small action was a bit hard, as the broom closet was very tight, and she was partially pressed up against James.

"Err… look, Po- James. I just wanted to… to thank you for helping me out last night. And I'm- I'm-"

Feeling a little dazed, and a bit shocked that Lily had actually THANKED him made James slightly unaware of how close the two of them were. _Slightly._

Lily was having some trouble getting the unfamiliar words out of her mouth. "I'm- well, I wasn't entirely justified in yelling at you when you told me that dating Diggory was a bad idea."

James laughed. "Lily? You must be the only person I know who can apologize without saying 'I'm sorry'."

Lily smiled. "Well, I guess it's just not in my nature. I never thought I'd see the day when I apologized to _you_ though."

James stopped. "Hey! What's the matter with me?"

"Oh please!" Lily said. "You practically made my life _miserable_ in first year!"

James frowned. "Oh yeah. I did. I guess I'll just have to make up for it this year, right?"

Lily laughed a little bit worriedly. Her back was against a wall, and James was leaning in closer to her. "I guess you will."

James put an arm on the wall over Lily's shoulder, and bent down slowly. Lily looked up at him, not quite understanding.

Ever since fifth year, James had dreamt about being in close proximity with Lily Evans. And in his dreams, one thing had always happened. His dream became a reality.

He kissed her.

* * *

Alice waited in her bed until she saw Alex head out of the dormitories, probably to meet Sirius. She slowly slid out from under her covers and eased her trunk lid open. Digging through her messy array of books, clothes, robes, and old magazines, Alice grabbed a box from the bottom of the pile.

Alice placed the box on her lap, took a deep breath, and opened it. An assortment of pictures smiled up at her, each sporting Frank's cheerful face. She shuffled through the snapshots, notes, and letters (all having to do with Frank, of course) until she found what she was looking for, and let her mind take her through her memories, to the day of a Hogsmeade trip, last year.

_Flashback _

Alice sat in front of the warm fire, contemplating what on earth had transpired with Lily during her meeting with Remus in the Three Broomsticks.

A shadow fell across her face, and she looked up. Frank was standing in front of the fire, trying to find something to say. "Frank?" Alice asked. "What are you doing down here?"

"Erm…" He said nervously. "Well- you see- I was in Honeydukes- during the Hogsmeade visit- and I… I thought that… er… you might like- well, I _hope_ you'd like them-but you don't have to- well, no one could force you to- but anyways-" Frank babbled on a bit more, trying to redeem himself, until he just held something out to Alice.

She stood up, and took the box he offered her. It was a candy container that simply read:

**_For That Special Friend_**

Alice peeked into the box and saw a solitary chocolate egg. She looked up at Frank who coaxed her along. "Go on, crack it open!" He was grinning now, most of the nervousness gone. There was no turning back now.

She turned to the small table in front of the crimson sofa, and tapped the egg. It instantly cracked open on the wood, revealing what lay inside. The fire glinted off the golden necklace as Alice held it up and gasped.

A heart locket hung on a thin gold chain. Frank stepped up next to her, and gently took it from her hands. "I've been trying to find a way to tell this for awhile, Alice, and this seemed like a good way."

Alice nodded wordlessly, a lump growing in her throat. Inside, however, she was leaping for joy. Did he mean…

Frank moved behind Alice, and fastened the gold chain. Alice's stomach filled with butterflies as his hands touched her skin.

"You see, Alice I… I really l-like you."

She turned around to face him. His eyes searched hers for a response to his confession.

Caught up in the moment Alice did something completely out of character, threw her arms around Frank's neck, and kissed him squarely on the lips.

_End Flashback _

Once again, Alice felt the bliss of her first kiss, on the night she and Frank finally admitted that they liked each other, as she hugged a small box to her chest, bearing the inscription:

**_For That Special Friend_**


	38. Finding Allies

Lily stood in shock as James's lips met hers, not quite sure she wasn't dreaming. Or having a nightmare. She finally regained her senses and pulled away quickly.

James's eyes widened as he realized what he had done, and the possible consequences. However, strangely enough, Lily didn't look mad. Instead, if worse, she looked disappointed. "James," she whispered quietly, her voice wavering.

The sound alone broke James. How stupid could he be, to kiss her after all she had just gone through? "Lily? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! It just… happened! I-I-"

Lily cut him off. "Just-just forget about it, okay? And please... don't do it again."

She opened the door and walked out. James followed her, somewhat more subdued. Try as he might, he couldn't forget about that split second when their lips had first touched, and the lightening he saw in his eyelids. Nor could he forget the sweet smell of her shampoo, or the way her emerald eyes had looked at him after he committed the deed.

So wrapped up was he in his thoughts that he didn't look up and see the tear trickling down Lily's cheek, or the way she fingered her tingling lips in confusion.

* * *

Alex looked thoughtfully at the Marauders, who were sitting nearby. Sirius was laughing at some joke of Peter's, and stuffing food down his face at the same time.

Their relationship was very strange, even for the wizarding world. There was physical attraction, oh yes; there was much of that. There were also the similar situations their school environment forced upon them. Both were popular, attractive, and known 'players' of a sort. All of Alex's old boyfriends had expected a simple, short relationship, and that's what they received. Sirius's old one week stands had never expected to be dumped, but were nonetheless.

Alex looked to Sirius for companionship at times of convenience, and vice versa. They were 'together' in some senses, but independent in many others. However, a casual observer may have noticed that much less attention was placed on their respected opposite senses since their first kiss.

Alex knew that that was the way things were, and probably how they were going to stay. Emotions had definitely heated up over the summer, but Alex wasn't sure if Sirius had noticed.

Sirius chose that moment to look around, and caught her eyes upon him. He gave her his customary arrogant smile, before turning back to his friends.

"So, we're doing it tonight?" Peter asked excitedly.

Remus nodded. "James said it can't wait, and we have all the supplies now."

Sirius was about to ask if anyone else thought that James's prank had anything to do with Lily, when the two people in question entered the Great Hall.

Lily looked greatly distressed, and James looked much worse for the wear. They seemed to be ignoring each other in any way possible. Lily quickly sat down next to her friends, and James joined his at a much slower pace. Sirius exchanged puzzled glances with the rest of the Marauders, as he strained to hear what the girls were saying. However, he couldn't over the din in the Hall. He only saw Alex march up, grab James by the collar, and drag him outside. Peter and Remus looked just as confused, as Peter asked, as usual, "Did I miss something?"

* * *

Lily sat down next to Alex after entering the Great Hall. Alice immediately noticed that something was wrong. "Lily! What happened?"

Lily froze. "Wha- what do you mean?" she asked nervously.

Alex rolled her eyes. "You can cut that out, we can see you've been crying."

"Oh really?" Actually, Lily hadn't even noticed.

"So tell us! What happened?"

Lily shifted her gaze around nervously, trying to avoid the question. Her eyes looked everywhere, including right at James. She could feel her cheeks turning red. Alex followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at and stood up. "I'll be right back," she told her friends.

She walked over, grabbed Potter, and pulled him out of the Hall.

"All right Potter," she snarled. "What in Merlin's name did you do to Lily?"

He cleared his throat. "Err… what- what do you mean?"

"You know bloody well what I mean!" Alex shouted. "Lily's not talking, but I know you did something to her!"

James just stared at her in a nervous state of shock and worry, watching Alex turn redder and redder.

"_Potter!_" she snarled one last time.

Truly scared for his life, James started to stutter quietly, "Well- I sorta- I mean, I didn't mean to- but we were in a broom closet, and-"

Alex looked taken aback, clearly not expecting anything of that sort. "You two were in a broom closet! Together!"

James nodded, and continued. "We were talking, and she was standing there, and I- I- I-"

He whispered something silently, and trailed off, looking into the air. Alex, expecting the worst, gently prodded him on. "Sorry, I didn't catch that," she said sarcastically.

James grumbled out, "I _kissed_ her, okay?"

"YOU KISSED HER!" Alex shouted, calling the surprised attention of several nearby students. James cringed, expecting this reaction.

"Wait. You _kissed _her?" Alex said again.

James nodded, and Alex broke out into a grin. "Oh, this is good. This is _good!_"

James just stared some more. He was _not _expecting this reaction. "Err… Alex? Aren't you mad?"

"Mad? Mad? Why would I be mad? This is just perfect, and not a moment too soon."

James just gave her a blank look. Alex was flushed, and grinning widely. "Don't tell me you didn't notice!"

"Notice what?"

Alex clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is good. You didn't even know! Lily doesn't hate you anymore!"

"She doesn't?" The thought finally struck James, and he let out a loud whoop. "She doesn't!" His face fell. "Well, she does now. You didn't see the way she looked afterwards... I think I royally screwed this one up."

Alex shook her head. "Men. No imagination. Lily just needs some space. And maybe someone to put in a good word for you."

James frowned. "But who would do that?"

Alex bowed her head in exasperation. "We have a lot of work to do."

"Now?"

"No, not now, we have to get back to breakfast. Don't want Lily to think we're snogging, do we? Or Sirius, for that matter... come on Potter."

However, James never went back in, because Lily came out with Alice and the Marauders at that moment. James sighed as he and Alex jogged to catch up with them. He never did get his breakfast.


	39. Long Lost Relations

Lily sat next to Alex in Transfiguration, working on changing her desk into a pig.

"He's not all that bad, you know," Alex stated out of the blue.

"Who?" Lily asked absentmindedly, growing more and more frustrated with her unchanging desk.

"James."

Lily snapped up. "What did you say? Potter _kissed_ me, remember? He's such a pigheaded, conceited, bullying little…"

She continued to mutter to herself as Alex shook her head. "Maybe he kissed you because he _likes_ you. That's always a possibility."

Lily scowled. "I don't think so. He's always enjoyed mocking me, even when we were little. This is just another attempt to humiliate me."

"Can't you just give him a chance?" Alex asked in exasperation. "What more does he have to do?"

"What has he done in the first place?"

Alex tilted her head. "Well, in the first place, he always tries to help us when we run into the Slytherins, especially Snape, he opened his home up to you during the summer, he certainly helped you when you 'ran into' Bellatrix, and now he looks absolutely miserable that you won't even look at him..."

Lily bit her lip and looked at the floor. Alex backed off as she watched Lily silently think about what she just heard.

* * *

"SHUT IT, POTTER!" Lily roared.

"YOU CAN'T JUST PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED, LILY!" James yelled back.

"I CAN AND I WILL!" Lily screamed. James had been trying to talk to her about their morning in the broom closet, but it wasn't going too well.

Noticing all the stares they were getting in the common room, James grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her outside. "Why can't you admit it happened?" he hissed.

"Because it never should have. The whole thing was a mistake."

"Is that all I am to you?" James asked. "A mistake?"

Not daring to witness the hurt in his eyes, Lily looked down. "We can't be together James. It would never work."

"Why not Lily? What would you have me do?"

"Stop bullying Snape, for one." Lily retorted.

James quickly shook his head. "What- Lily! That's impossible."

Lily smiled sadly. "Exactly," she whispered, almost to herself, as she walked back inside.

* * *

A blinding light shone in Lily's eyes. "Go away," she muttered, but the light persisted. She blinked, and made out the smiling face of Alice trying to wake her up.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" She exclaimed happily. "It's time for breakfast!"

Lily groaned. She had not slept well last night, bothered about what she said to Potter. "Can't you just go without me?"

"Nope! James is waiting downstairs for you, and I don't think he wants to miss breakfast again."

Lily moaned again and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I hate mornings."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Don't we all. Hurry up, though. Alex is waiting for us in the Great Hall."

Somehow, Lily found the strength to get dressed, and make her way down the stairs without falling.

James silently accompanied her, and Lily forcefully ignored him. On the way, she gradually regained her lost strength, and became more alert and cheerful.

Alex waved Lily and Alice over, and James joined his friends. "I can't wait!" Alex exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "It's Thursday at last!"

Alice and Lily exchanged confused glances. "What's so special about Thursday?"

"T.J.'s back home, and he's going to drop by Hogwarts this afternoon!"

Lily knew that T.J. was Alex's older brother, and he went to Greenland after finishing school to study their unique style of dueling. T.J. was an Auror, and was trying to learn new techniques to surprise Voldemort's forces in battle. He was also Alex's only brother, and the two of them shared a special bond, being that they were much closer than most siblings.

Alex hopped through the morning classes, almost literally, until lunch finally arrived. She sat by the doors of the Great Hall, waiting very impatiently. "Where is he?" she muttered. "He was supposed to be here a minute ago-"

"Waiting for your boyfriend?"

Alex spun around, and immediately flew into her brother. "T.J.!" she squealed. He was laughing as they hugged. His year away had tanned his skin a bit, and his brown hair was speckled with blonde.

"It's good to see you too!" he said, laughing.

Alex led her brother over to the Gryffindor table. Sirius was eyeing the two of them with a little bit of wariness. After all, T.J. had graduated before he came to Hogwarts.

"Well, this is James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew." The three boys nodded their hellos. "And this is my- well, this is Sirius Black."

T.J. started. "A Black in Gryffindor? I thought I'd never see the day."

Sirius glared at him. "Not all Blacks are evil, you know."

"No offense meant, but I was just a bit surprised." He eyed Alex. "Is there something going on between you two?

Alex looked uncomfortable, but Sirius said shortly, "Yes. Why?"

"Well then, I guess I'll have to give you the big brother speech, won't I?"

Sirius's eyes opened wide, and he sputtered, "You mean you're Alex's _brother_?"

James burst out laughing, while Remus tried to stifle his. Peter just looked confused, and Alex was very embarrassed. She tugged on T.J.'s arm, and dragged him over to her friends.

"Lily, Alice, this is T.J. He's been in Greenland since we've been in school, and finally finished training."

T.J. smiled. "Not quite. I still have a few months to go, but I decided to take a short break."

"What did you do there?" Lily asked.

"Well, mainly we train for becoming Aurors, and do things like duel and study. We always have to be on the move. Voldemort's closing in, and we have to be ready to fight." His eyes turned dark. "There are already to many deaths in our world."

Lily was surprised. "I guess we don't really hear about them much in Hogwarts, do we?"

Alex nodded. "We don't hear about it here, but there are battles in London about once a week. Raids, attacks, slaughters, it never stops. Dumbledore doesn't like that sort of news leaking into here, unless it directly pertains to you."

Lily nodded. Being a Muggleborn, she didn't hear about Voldemort at home, and was shielded from it at Hogwarts. It was hard to believe that people were killed every day. She felt sorry for all the students with wizarding families, who never knew what news the next day would bring. She knew most Slytherins did end up turning to Voldemort, and perhaps their rivalry with Gryffindor had a deeper meaning than she thought.


	40. Saying GoodBye

T.J. was going to be leaving that afternoon, but Lily still had a quick question for him. She dodged James, and approached T.J. by the Great Hall entry doors. "T.J., I have a question. You said that you were in Greenland, and then Alex commented on your tan. But you can't _get_ a tan in Greenland!"

T.J. looked surprised and uncomfortable for a moment, then glanced around at the near-empty hallway, and bent down. "That's because we _aren't_ in Greenland. Auror's can't really disclose where they're being trained, for obvious reasons. And we're right, too. We have people stationed all around up there, and many suspicious characters have shown up lately."

Lily whispered back, "Then where _are _you stationed? Or can't you tell me?"

T.J. whispered even lower, "I'm not supposed to tell, but I suppose it couldn't hurt. I have a strong feeling you may be going there in a few years, anyway. Over in the Caribbean, there's an island the Muggles don't notice. Not a word about this to anyone now, understand?"

Lily nodded; proud to be trusted with such an important secret, and the thought that one day she might be training with the best of the best.

As James caught up at last, and promptly dragged Lily away, someone in the shadows behind a forlorn suit of armor was also very happy. T.J. had left to fetch his bags, so she stepped out into the light. "Isn't that interesting," she said as she smiled to herself. "Thank you, Mudblood, for that useful piece of information. I would have had a hard time getting it myself." Bellatrix chuckled again and went to find the nearest owl.

* * *

That night at dinner, James seemed jumpier than ever. Sirius was gorging himself as always, but Remus was picking at his food. Lily noticed their strange behavior, but ignored it. She really didn't want to know. Peter was glancing back and forth between the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables, loudly whispering to whoever was listening, "Just you wait! You have to see this!"

Needless to say, the Gryffindors had caught on pretty fast, and all eyes were on the Marauders. Meanwhile, Bellatrix and Amos had worked their way up to the front of the Great Hall. "Excuse me everyone!" Bellatrix called out. "There's something I have to say."

She struggled onto the staff table, while the teachers looked on in shock. "I am madly in love with Amos Diggory, and I just managed to work up the courage to say so."

Amos beamed, and hopped up beside her. "I'm so glad the feeling is mutual, then. But I need proof before I can willingly kiss an evil Slytherin witch. Tell me one of your biggest secrets."

Bellatrix nodded, and by now all of the Great Hall's attention was focused on the pair of them. The Marauders looked on hopefully and greedily, ready for the truth serum to take effect. "I've been shagging Rodulphus Lestrange since second year."

The teachers gasped, as did the younger students. Sirius looked sick. "That's disgusting! I don't need to know that!"

Amos shook his head sadly. "Well, that is a shocker. But once again, I can't keep a secret from the one I love. I cheated at the Quidditch Cup last year."

Bellatrix smiled. "I love how open and honest you are! But I must admit, I once seduced Severus Snape to get what I wanted."

Amos laughed. "And I lied about having a pair of pink boxers!"

"And I-" Bellatrix was cut off by the Silencing spell McGonagall sent her way, who was looking a little green. Flitwick had managed to decipher what damage was done to them, and took off the spells they were under. At this, the two students both looked horrified.

"Will Mr. Potter, Lupin, Black, and Pettigrew please report to the front of the room?" she called out.

Albus held up his hand. "Minerva, if I may, why are you calling these particular boys up?"

McGonagall glanced at him. "Surely you can't be serious, Albus."

"Actually, I am!" Sirius called out, before he was shushed by his friends. ("That joke was overused by second year, Sirius," James whispered loudly.)

McGonagall looked flabbergasted. "Well, no, I just assumed-"

Dumbledore nodded. "As did I, Minerva. But innocent until proven guilty is the way of things, from the last year."

Bellatrix was angry at the thought of the Marauders getting off, but Amos was just confused.

"Now, Minerva, I believe dinner is over. The students are free to go."

* * *

Peter sat in the library, already struggling to keep up with his friends academically. The room was almost empty, and was dark and solemn, excepting the random candle flickering in between the bookshelves.

"Hello, Peter."

He turned around and saw Stephanie Robins looking at him. "Yes? Do you need something?"

Stephanie nodded. "You see, there's a Hogsmeade trip coming up, and I need someone to go with. Would you be interested?"

Peter was slightly shocked. He'd had a girlfriend or two over the years, but it never seemed to work out. And here was Stephanie Robins, a girl who most definitely was in a different league than he was, and she was asking _him _out on a date. "Err, well, yes! I'd love to!"

Stephanie smiled. "Excellent. I'll see you at five on Saturday, then?" Peter nodded. Stephanie turned around, but paused. "I'm in a little fight with my friends now, so would it be okay if we hung out with yours instead? You know, Sirius? And James and Remus?"

Peter nodded, still dazed. "Yeah, that would be fine."

Stephanie's smile grew even wider. Her dark brown hair shook as if she was trying to hold back laughter. Since it was so dark in the room, Peter wasn't able to see her friends huddled in the shadows, listening to every word.

She finally turned away and headed back into the dark labyrinth of books, her shadows at her feet. Once they were out of earshot, Stephanie burst out. "Did you see the look on his face? He was so shocked! I can't believe he bought it!"

Her friends laughed as well, and stepped into the light. "But why Peter? Couldn't we have gotten someone more… socially acceptable?"

Cruelly, Stephanie retorted, "Because Pettigrew is the only one dumb enough to fall for it! Do you think Lupin wouldn't be able to see through our scam?"

Her friend humbly shook her head, and Stephanie's eyes glowed. "Now all I have to do is wait for Saturday, and Sirius will be all mine…"

* * *

"Can you believe we got off like that?" Sirius exclaimed. "I mean, Dumbledore all but knowingly let us off the hook!"

James laughed along with him, and slapped Remus on the back. "I have to admit, that was one of the best yet!"

The three laughing boys were quickly stopped by the sight of Lily and Alex shaking their heads and tapping their feet. "I assume you are going to explain this to us?" Lily said disapprovingly.

"Oh, bugger off, Evans. I saw you laughing along with the rest of us." Sirius said, rolling his eyes at her.

Lily turned red, and James stared at her. "You laughed at one of _our_ pranks?" Needless to say, this was very rare.

"Well, it was _slightly_ amusing…" Lily trailed off. After a prod from Alex, she burst out, "And I couldn't believe the look on Amos's face! Did you see it? It was hilarious!"

* * *

Bellatrix glared at Rodolphus's head, sitting in the Slytherin fire. "You were supposed to get rid of the girl in the woods. If you had done your job, the Marauders wouldn't even try to mess with us. They'd know who the supreme power in our world was."

Rodolphus glared right back at her. "I wasn't the one who forgot their alertness training. You should have seen that spell and blocked it. And what's this I hear about you _seducing_ Severus Snape! You know I never liked the look of that _snake_."

"It was vital to our plan to demolish the Gryffindor tower almost three years ago." Bellatrix retorted.

"And you remember how that turned out! Avery lost his eyebrows for a week! You betrayed me for a potion that didn't even work!"

Bellatrix sighed. "Look, we have to focus on the situation at hand. How do we get even?"

"We don't get even. We eliminate the source."


	41. Girls Night!

Lily flopped down onto her pillows and blankets. Same as the other girls in her dorm, she would be sleeping on the floor tonight for a night full of talking, gossiping, and painting nails.

"Do you remember Molly Prewett?" Liddy Smith asked. She never really was in the Gryffindor dorm, preferring instead to spend her time with her best friends in Ravenclaw- Lynn, Lara, and Sydney.

Alex nodded slowly, trying not to irritate Alice. She was brushing Alex's long hair, which became slightly unkempt after her date with Sirius on the Astronomy Tower.

"Well, she finally married Arthur Weasley and just had a little boy. She named him Bill, after his brother, the third year. And that's not all. She's pregnant again!"

There was some laughter following the announcement. "But that's the good news," Liddy continued. "As I'm sure you all _don't_ want to know, Lucius Malfoy married Narcissa Black. My mom said it was a dreadfully boring event. No one did anything unusual. But she said an owl came in during the feast. It had a letter that was like a Howler, but it was a congratulation from that guy who had some stories about him in the newspapers, for killing a bunch of people. What was his name? Oh yeah, Voldemort. Lord Voldemort."

Alice's hand froze in mid-brush, as she and Alex shot worried glances at Lily. She paled a bit, and looked away. Not noticing anything odd, another girl, Marie, cut in.

"But he is kind of serious, isn't he? I heard that the Ministry is getting worried about all the followers he's gaining. They go around torturing Muggles and half bloods. Some people won't even call him by his name. They call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who."

Liddy nodded. "Everyone at home is talking about him. They don't know if he's just crazy, or another Grindlewald." There was a collective shudder around the room.

"I've overheard some of the Slytherins say they want to join him. They believe in what he says he can do."

"Is that why they've been so vicious lately?" Marie asked. She looked at Lily, "Maybe I'm just seeing things, but it seems as though the Slytheirns are really ganging up on you with all those insults and snide comments."

Lily didn't answer, but she thought, _'You don't know the half of it.'_

Liddy smiles. "The Slytherins may be nasty, but Lily will always have someone around to save her. James Potter is quite a catch, Lily, and I forgot to congratulate you."

Alex snorted, and then tried to cover it up with a badly timed cough. Lily just turned red. "I didn't 'catch' anyone, especially James Potter. He's just a friend, if that."

Liddy nodded at Marie. "Ahh, the old 'just-friends' excuse. That's what Molly used to say about Arthur, and look what happened."

Lily shook her head. "Just give it up, guys. There is no way Potter and I will get together."

"Really?" Marie asked. "Then tell us what you _do _think of him."

Lily hesitated. "Well, I suppose he is cute, in a scruffled kind of way. He makes people laugh, which is a redeeming quality. Ohh, and I once saw him helping out this first year, in the beginning of the year. He was so patient! It was unbelievable. But he always tried to humiliate the Slytherins, especially when they did something really nasty. Actually, now I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. He also has this contagious laugh, and I noticed that he always has to squeeze something when he's mad. Usually his wand, right before he hexes somebody. And his eyes! They look just like a piece of chocolate, especially when he smiles. And- wait a minute! Why are you smiling?"

Liddy choked on her laughter. "I'm actually pretty sure you like him, Lily."

"What? That's preposterous!" Lily exclaimed.

"Not really. Just think about it," Marie responded. "But speaking of boys, Alice, what's the deal between you and Frank? I never see you alone anymore!"

Alice blushed. "Well, I like spending time with Frank. Sometimes it's as though I can't get enough of him. He's so kind and sweet. Once he took me on a broom ride around the castle to a picnic on the other side. He always does random, sensitive things like that. What about you, Alex? How's Sirius been?"

Alex smiled. "Sirius has been great. He snogs like I could never imagine, and he always wants to just go off and do something. Trust me when I say there is never a dull moment when he is around."

Marie giggled. "I can see that. But what I can't see is Peter and Stephanie. What does he see in her? What does she see in him?"

Liddy held up a hand. "Whoa there! What's this about Peter and Stephanie?"

"Didn't you hear?" Alice asked incredulously. "Stephanie asked Peter to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow."

"Wait!" Alex cried. "Peter and _Stephanie!_ I thought she still liked… someone else!"

Liddy waved a hand. "Yeah, she likes Sirius. _Likes_. I heard her talking about him yesterday, and let me tell you, she still thinks that he's secretly in love with her. But don't worry, Alex. There's no competition. Sirius is clearly in love with you."

Alex blushed. "Are you sure? I mean, love is a big thing."

Marie nodded. "You're right, but I've never known Sirius to do things in small proportions. But the true question is, do you love him back?"

Alex looked perplexed. "You know, I think I might. It's just so hard to say something like that. But I really think he is the one that will be there for the rest of my life, even if the spark between us dies."

Liddy sighed and looked at the ceiling dreamily. "It must be so great to have such a strong feeling for someone, and confidence that the feeling will stay."

The girls continued to talk through the night, but no one noticed that Lily said not another word since Marie told her to 'just think about it.' Because, in fact, she was just thinking about it.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I really felt an urge to write, so this came out in like a half hour from the time I sat down at the computer. This may seem like just a simple, SHORT (Yes, I know it is),fun chapter, but Lily is starting to realize something… though I'm sure you all know what.


	42. Owls From the Ministry

Sirius slapped James on the back. "That was simply superb, mate!" he exclaimed, looking at the stumbling figure wearing Slytherin robes. An unfortunate seventh year strode into the path of Sirius and James, made a few bold comments regarding Quidditch tactics, and was met with several well-timed hexes, rendering him both speechless and limping. James laughed as well.

"Yeah, that was fun, wasn't it?" He glanced down at his watch. "Oh, great. I have to meet Lily at the common room portrait in two minutes for breakfast. She'll kill me if I'm late again."

As the pair started to jog along the corridors, Sirius asked, "Speaking of which, how have things been between the two of you lately? I mean, since you kissed her and all."

James shrugged. "Fine, I guess. We're both just ignoring the whole incident. We're friends, I guess." But his nonchalant tone was betrayed by the wishful look in his eyes.

Sirius nodded as they reached the painting. "Right, and I suppose you both think this arrangement is just fine and dandy. Because it's not as if you like her, is it?"

James missed the sarcastic tone, and replied, "Yes, that sounds about right."

Sirius shook his head and muttered, "Mental," just as the Gryffindor portrait opened.

"Who's mental?" Lily asked. "No wait, don't answer that. I think I already know." Her pointed look at James and Sirius was met with shrugs of indifference.

"We're both very proud of the fact, actually," James replied.

Shaking her head, Lily mumbled, "Mental." She looked over at Sirius and said, "Alex already went down to breakfast, if that's why you're here." Sirius nodded and joined Lily and James on their way to the Great Hall. Most of the school was already sitting around their tables when the trio arrived. Before sitting down himself, Sirius Conjured a bouquet of sunflowers and handed them with a flourish to Alex.

She smiled. "My favorite flowers! How'd you know?" Sirius and Alice exchanged sly looks. Alex just laughed, chose the smallest flower from the bouquet, and tucked it behind her ear. Alice smiled and turned back to Frank, as the Marauders tucked into their breakfast with a hearty energy.

Just then, a flurry of white, brown, and black clouded up the blue ceiling. "Post's here!" Peter announced unnecessarily. Indeed, messages were delivered throughout the vast room. Lily held up her hand to receive issue of the Daily Prophet.

"I wonder if Ireland or Bulgaria won the game last night," James questioned as he scanned his paper.

"Bulgaria _always_ wins," Sirius snorted obnoxiously.

"Oh," James said, disappointed, as he read the scores. "Well, Ireland is bound to win some time, just you wait."

But Lily, however, barely heard this conversation, as she was preoccupied with the much more important article she was reading.

'_The Ministry is still refusing comment on the mysterious attack on the hidden island in the Caribbean. Why… You-Know-Who would have his followers destroy a seemingly abandoned island is unknown to the _Prophet_ at the time. However, a source inside the Ministry has revealed that there was a secret Auror training facility on the island. This is still being confirmed, but it is known that some casualties were amounted during the incident, but so far only families will be informed as to who has died.'_

Lily, pale and scared, tapped Alex on the shoulder. "Have you seen this?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Alex looked over the article and shrugged. "No, but that's awful. I'm glad T.J.'s in Greenland."

But both their eyes were drawn to the black owls still circling the students. Dumbledore was looking up at them with a grave, almost fearful expression. These owls suddenly swooped down, landing stiffly in front of several students. As one landed in front of Alex, Lily slowly began to realize what they must be for. Alex, however, was still confused. The smile slowly slid off her face as the owl stuck out its leg. She was slow in taking the letter, suddenly fearful of its contents.

Cries were filling the Hall as other students opened the foreboding letters. Alex shook her head, in strong denial. "No, I don't think I want to open it. I-I can't! I don't want to!"

Alice gently eased the letter from her hands, and glanced it over. Alex looked at her with watering eyes- eyes that knew the answer before she asked the question. "Is it- T.J.?"

Alice bowed her head in a gesture that clearly meant 'yes.' "I'm so sorry," she said.

And then Alex's uncontrollable cries joined the others around the Great Hall.

* * *

Lily and Alice sat in Potions, whispering to themselves. "Has she left the dorms yet?" Lily questioned. The relatives of the newly deceased were given a day or two free for grieving.

"Not yet. She won't eat either."

"I wonder if there's something we could do for her? Watch it! You almost put Wiggentree Bark in a goat-based stomach solution! Do you not _like_ your eyebrows, or something?"

Alice shook her head. "Sorry. You know I can't do Potions. But I think the best thing to do is just let her ride it out for a while. Right now, she needs her space."

"Talking about the Muggle-lover, are you?" Snape cut in. "Pity about her brother. Terrible." But the sneer on his face announced the sarcasm in use.

Eyeing the Potions Mistress, Sirius joined the discussion. "You got a problem, Snape?"

"Do you mean besides being in a school with your whimpering girlfriend? What's she so sad about, anyway? Her brother was just a waste of the wizarding blood. Along with the rest of that family."

A muscle worked in Sirius's jaw. "You better watch your back, Snape, if you keep talking like that."

Snape's sneer deepened. "That sounds a little Slytherin to me, Black. Maybe the Sorting Hat made a mistake, after all."

At the mention of this sore subject, Sirius lost it a little. Grabbing the nearest bottle, he unscrewed it and launched it into Snape's bubbling cauldron. "No wait!" Lily yelled, as a glob of Wiggentree Bark went sailing through the air.

As the mass touched the red solution, the room went deathly quiet, then burst into showers of purple and orange. Students cried out as the burning liquid touched their skin.

"Black! Snape! To the headmaster's office, immediately!" Professor Slughorn cried out.


	43. The Burdens We Bear

Sirius scowled at Dumbledore's desk, waiting for the headmaster and Professor Slughorn to stop talking behind the office door. Snape sat as far away as possible, and was having equally unpleasant facial contortions.

Then, Dumbledore said some parting words to the professor, closed the door behind him, and slowly went to sit at his desk. He steepled his hands in front of his face, which, Sirius noted with worry, had many more lines and scars than he remembered. Even his movements spoke of large burdens, and stress that would only come with… war. That was the cause, Sirius realized. The newly declared war on Voldemort, or You-Know-Who, as the press had taken to calling him.

But this had nothing to do with the problem at hand. "Mr. Snape, if you would be so kind as to wait in the stairway for just a short moment?" After Snape slouched away and closed the door, Dumbledore gravely said, "While I am sure that this disruption was more than just your fault, Mr. Black, evidence says that provocation could have come from anyone. Therefore, the only logical and fair move to make here is to give you just one night's detention with Professor Slughorn this coming Saturday."

Sirius restrained himself from standing up and retaliating against this unfair punishment. Almost. "You mean Snape gets off free? What kind of fairness is that? That git said-"

Dumbledore merely held up a hand, and that was enough to stop Sirius in the middle of his rant. "At the sixth level of schooling here at Hogwarts, we teachers begin to hope that the students start to deduce that _life is not fair_. That you are _not_ children anymore. That especially in the world today, frivolous things such as House rivalries do not matter as much as they did when you were eleven. That you are old enough to understand what is really important."

Sirius sulked in his chair, successfully rebuked, but still resentful. Dumbledore sighed. "Please send in Mr. Snape. I would like to have a word with him. You are free to go."

Sirius stood up and swiftly turned his back on the aging professor. Past the door was a smirking Snape, who just strode into the office and purposefully shut the door on Sirius.

Sirius was filled with a surge of unexplained rage. He wanted to smash something, anything. Saturday- the last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas break. And, even more importantly, that was the night of the full moon. He would miss a day of romping around on the grounds with his friends. And then he spotted Snape's school bag, lying innocently on the ground. With plenty of extra parchment and quills. Sirius grabbed a handful of it with the intent of ripping the entire contents of the bag into shreds. But then he recalled Dumbledore's words. _'… especially in the world today, frivolous things such as House rivalries do not matter as much as they did when you were eleven.'_ He was right. It was time for the House rivalries to stop being frivolous. He smoothed out the parchment, selected the smallest piece, and wrote down a quick, but carefully calculated message.

The tricky part would be placing it somewhere that Snape would find it, but not know how recently it was delivered, which would also give away Sirius as the author of the note. One place that Sirius would be sure to check before Saturday… of course! Snape's Potions book! He was rarely seen without it. Sirius grabbed the textbook, opened it, and frowned in distaste. The book was covered in scribbles and nonsense, probably ideas for revenge. Sirius felt the urge to read them, to see if any plots could be turned around on Snape, but he saw the doorknob slowly beginning to twist. Hastily, he shoved the note in the textbook, put it in the bag, and sprinted around the corridor.

* * *

"So, how was it, mate?" James inquired anxiously.

Sirius shrugged. "A little weird. I could tell that Dumbledore's stressed about the war. He gave me this really weird speech. But I got detention with Slughorn this Saurday!"

James groaned loudly. He was known for all-day detentions that left a student exhausted and covered in numerous smelly substances. "So it's just Peter and me? Against Remus? This is going to be a fun evening."

"Sorry, mate. I didn't have much choice in the matter. But more importantly, have you seen Alex?"

James grimaced. "Not exactly. But I did hear quite a few things breaking, and once she screamed for water- the second years got the House Elves for that- but that's it."

Sirius bit his lip. "Do you think I should go talk with her?"

"I don't think so," James said. "I think she needs someone who can understand her at the moment."

Sirius laughed grimly. "Then she doesn't need me, you mean. I couldn't care less if my family got themselves killed. And I'm sure the feeling's mutual."

"What about Lily?" James asked. "I mean, she's been through that situation, and she's one of Alex's best friends."

Abruptly, Sirius stood up and walked to the other side of the room, where Lily was whispering to Alice. "Lily?" Sirius asked. "I was wondering- you see, you know what it's like- I just wondered- Alex needs someone to talk to- I don't know what-"

Lily understood the garbled message. "I was going to do it sometime, and I suppose I've waited long enough." She looked at Sirius, and saw that this was hurting him as well. After all, he had been cut off from Alex in the time that he wanted to be there for her the most. On impulse, Lily reached up and hugged him tightly. After the understandable shock, Sirius allowed himself to be comforted. Lily whispered in his ear, "She'll need your help when she's ready to face the world again. Just let me get her ready."

* * *

Up in the sixth year girl dorms, the blinds were drawn and the doors closed. Several mirrors were broken from Alex's uncontrollable and unpredicted fits of rage. Tissues lay on the floor, some just waded up and thrown around in haphazard behavior, like a snowstorm had just briefly passed by. And in the middle of the war-zone was Alex herself, hidden in layers upon layers on bedding material, silently sitting on her bed. This was how Lily found her. She opened the door and closed it swiftly, before much light could come in. Careful to avoid the shards of glass, she sat on the bed next to Alex. She would let Alex make the fist move towards a conversation.

She didn't have long to wait. Alex's voice was a bit muffled from inside her cocoon, but she could still be understood. "How can you stand it? The pain- it hurts so much. How did you ever go back into the world again?"

Lily looked at her tightly clasped hands. "I don't know. There were times when I just wanted the suffering to be over, for the end of the world to come. But I knew, for some reason, that I would have to move on."

"Move on!" Alex exclaimed. "How can you say that! I only lost my brother, and I know I'll never be able to move on! You lost your whole family! Why did you come out of your room at all?"

Lily let Alex's cutting words pass without flinching. They were made in sadness, not anger. "I knew that they wouldn't want me to mourn in seclusion for the rest of my life. Would you want anyone to do that for you?"

Alex hesitated. "Well, no…"

Lily continued on. "So I did what I knew they would want me to do. But that doesn't mean that I don't think about them everyday, and it doesn't mean that I don't cry myself to sleep some nights."

Alex stuck her head out to look at Lily. "Does it ever stop? Will I ever feel normal again?"

Lily shook her head. "Not at first, but you get used to the pain, and you'll grow stronger."

Alex's voice was almost a whisper. "But it hurts so much."

And both girls held each other in ways that only those who share the burden of great pain know of, silent tears trickling down faces that have seen too much suffering for their age.


	44. Steph

The sun rose slowly over the castle, spreading warmth over the grounds. It revealed the scraggly half giant, Rubeus Hagrid, talking to a few centaurs at the edge of the forest.

"Yeh know wha' Dumbledore wants, Bane. Anythin' suspicious, it would be best 'ter let 'im know. He says there's a-goin' 'ter be a war soon."

Bane and his companion nodded solemnly. "We know of the headmaster's predictions. He must seeing how red Venus is looking this month, and interpreted it rightly."

Hagrid continued, "Does that mean that, er…"

Bane nodded, "You have our services." The centaurs galloped into the woods swiftly without another word, and Hagrid made his way up to the castle to report to Dumbledore.

* * *

Lily, Alex, Sirius, and James had decided to walk around Hogsmeade together. Alex was looking rather unkempt, but was making an effort to be like her old self. Sirius glanced at her anxiously every few minutes, as if he were afraid she would break down at any time. Alex was pointedly ignoring this. James was simply yelling to everyone they passed that he knew. And some witches he didn't. Very blonde, very tall, very pretty witches. Lily found this to be funny, as they would always roll their eyes at him. But it also disturbed her. More than she would have liked.

Perhaps most amusing, though, was when he whistled at a platinum blonde with her back to them. Lily saw her back stiffen as she turned to glare at him. Lily was the only one in her group that didn't flee as the blonde showed her face, until Alex grabbed her arm, and urged her on. Quickly. It wasn't until they were inside a shop and well out of range that she managed to ask, "What was _that_ all about?"

Alex could only shake her head, as she was barely stifling her laughter. Sirius turned and lightly punched James's arm. His lighthearted tone didn't mask the look of sickness on his face. "You think Malfoy's mom is _hot_?"

James ran into the bathroom, and Lily could hear a faint sound of retching. James still looked ill as he came out. "I think I need a firewhisky. A big one."

Lily glared at him. "Just because you suffered a severe trauma doesn't mean you can bend the rules."

Alex piped in, "But we are supposed to meet Peter at the Three Broomsticks."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah, he says he has a date. I've got to see this."

They made their way to the popular pub (being sure to avoid the street they came from).

The Three Broomsticks was noisy and crowded. They pushed their way through the throng of people. Lily felt like she was suffocating. She heard James yell back to them (he was leading the group), and she saw what he was pointing at. Peter was standing on a chair, waving his arms. They slowly made their way over, and saw that Peter had already gotten their drinks.

Alex whispered in Lily's ear, "This should be interesting. Do you think he actually got a date?"

Lily sniggered, though she tried not to.

James finally broke them through the crowd, and Lily felt Alex grow stiff. "_Not. Happening."_ Lily heard her whisper. And Lily knew why. Stephanie Robins was staring at Sirius, sitting next to an oblivious Peter. Also not noticing anything, James sat down next to Peter. Lily threw a glance at Sirius. Maybe it was a male thing, but he didn't seem to see anything weird about the situation, either. He must not have, because he slid into the seat next to Stephanie, and motioned to Alex to sit on his other side. She did, But with a very strained face. Despite her concern for Alex, Lily had to smile. This certainly was going to be interesting.

But she quickly panicked. The only seat left was between her best friend… and James. The others were looking at her expectantly. Alex seemed to be saying, 'If I have to suffer, than so do you.' Lily quickly stuttered, "Er… I think I'll go get the drinks."

Alex smirked. This was just what she'd been waiting for. "Lily, we already _have _the drinks. Have a seat!"

Lily shot her a glare, but did as she said.

Stephanie was already inching her way towards Sirius. Alex was not pleased. "So Stephanie, what classes are you taking this year?"

Stephanie stopped moving her chair, and said in a sickly sweet voice, "Please… call me Steph." She threw a 'seductive' look at Sirius, who was actually busy chugging his butterbeer. Peter frowned. Seeing that her obvious gesture had failed, 'Steph' continued, "I'm taking Ancient Runes, and the basic classes."

Nearing the end of their Hogsmeade, visit, Lily felt slightly nauseated. Steph continued to laugh shrilly whenever Sirius let out a sidecrack, and found every excuse to touch him on the arm. Sirius began to catch on, and looked quite uncomfortable. Peter looked angry and humiliated as he watched his date flirt with one of his best friends. _'I should have known. She wouldn't even listen to my story about the ghost that tried to kill me. She only asked about Sirius.'_

James, on the other hand, found the whole situation highly amusing. He stopped downing mugs of butterbeer after his seventh glass, and had a bet with himself on who would storm out first- Alex or Peter.

Steph's chair was now almost touching Sirius's, who was looking around wildly for an excuse to get away. He couldn't find one, so did the first thing he could think of. Alex let out a little gasp as Sirius picked her up and placed her on his knee, between him and Steph, who looked very put out. Alex, however, looked almost smug, and did her best to hide her boyfriend from view.

Steph looked as if she was about to saw something particularly nasty and cutting when two more people joined their table. Alice's cheeks were pink with the cold. Frank sat down in Alex's abandoned chair, and Alice sat on his knee.

"Where were you?" Lily asked.

Alice and Frank answered at the same time- "Around." "The usual."- and started laughing as if they shared some private joke.

James and Lily just looked confused, but Alex and Sirius were more- involved- in each other to notice, much to Steph's horror.


	45. Flirting With Danger

James walked towards the Whomping Willow with Sirius (who had managed to get out of his detention, as Slughorn found out about a sale of dragon scales at a neighboring village that weekend) by his side, under the invisibility cloak. Filch had almost spotted them as they slipped out the door to get away, and his heart was still beating fast. He was carrying a fat, brown rat on his shoulder. The night was clear, but dark. Just like James liked it.

He set the rat down on the cold earth, and watched as he scrambled through the swinging branches and pressed a knot on the tree. The branches froze, and the three friends slipped down into the secret passageway.

The path was well worn, but with spiders dangling off the roots that protruded inwards. Clumps of mud fell when their heads hit the low ceiling. Frequent small puddles of water splashed as they trudged through the darkness that had engulfed them.

They soon saw the welcome sight of a faint glow up ahead. As they got closer, they could make out the shape of a door, and a low growl coming from inside it. The rat sat down patiently and waited for his friends. It was time.

James turned to Sirius and smiled. "You ready?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You say the same thing every time, and then I give you the same answer. Why in Merlin's beard wouldn't I be!"

The growling stopped. James shook his head. "You were too loud, Padfoot. He's heard us." A loud thud echoed down the passage as the door shook. "Let's get in there before he breaks down the door."

A strong blue light shone brightly in the room for one moment, then faded back to black. Instead of two boys, there now stood a tall stag and a shaggy black dog. The rat squeaked to get their attention, then nuzzled at the door. The stag bent down, and the rodent climbed onto his antlers. He was lifted up to the height of the doorknob. The rat, who was, of course, Peter, stuck his tail into the small keyhole and moved it around.

The continuing thuds against the door made this process longer than usual, though it had happened before. A small 'click' was heard. The rat sat on the handle until it turned to one side, then the dog, Sirius, slammed into it. The door slammed open, and the trio was met by a frantic werewolf.

One of its legs had been bloodied by its own teeth, and chunks of furniture lay strewn across the room.

James circled the wolf, occasionally prodding it towards the door with his antlers. Sirius blocked its possible escape routes. Eventually, the wolf allowed himself to be led out of the Whomping Willow, frozen by Peter, and away from the castle. 'Remus sure is feisty tonight.' James thought to himself.

Peter climbed onto his antlers again and the foursome went galloping off into the woods. Once Remus began to see that the other creatures weren't about to harm him, he began to grow more relaxed and joined in on the fun. They ran through a stream, and ran up a steep hill.

The worst part for Sirius was ignoring the other dangerous creatures peeking at them from behind trees and under rocks. He always felt a little queasy dealing with large animals, even with Remus. Once he even saw a giant spider while running through a thicker part of the forest. No one believed him- after all, who ever heard of giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest- but Sirius was sure of what he saw. He refused to go deep into the woods again.

Peter's nose stuck up into the air. Frantically, he began clawing at James' head, until the stag looked up at the sky, too. By the position of the moon, James could tell that the sun was ready to come up. Remus had gone still. James panicked.

It was well known that werewolves were most violent when the moon set- the painful changes would slowly start to begin. Sirius was a step ahead of the others, and began to nudge Remus in the direction of the Whomping Willow. James helped, and prodded the anxious werewolf along. Luckily, they were close enough to make it back in a few minutes.

Peter jumped off in a hurry and ran to freeze the tree. Remus seemed reluctant to go inside, but was forcefully pushed down the hole. He turned and snarled at Sirius, but stopped when the tree started to move again. The passage seemed shorter than usual, and Remus began to calm down, as he couldn't see the warning signs of a rising sun.

Figuring that Sirius could handle the rest on his own, James bounded back down, and outside. He decided to collect his cloak and their shoes, which they always took off before transforming. They had set them a little ways away from the tree, so they wouldn't be trampled as the three larger animals ran out. He hit the knot with his nose, and took a quick look around. Not seeing anyone, he quickly transformed back into his human form.

"How did you- POTTER?" James's bold turned to ice as Snape came out from behind the tree. How much did Snape see? The blue light- he must have seen that. But did he see the transformation itself?

James eyed Snape. "What are you doing here, Snivellus?"

Snape scowled. "Nothing that concerns you, Potter, that's for sure."

The two boys stared, each waiting for the other to leave. James stole a quick look at the sun- Remus's changes should be starting any minute now. But the break in eye contact gave Snape just the chance he needed.

When James looked back, Snape was gone. He was standing near the entrance to the tunnel. "Snape! What do you think you're doing?" James yelled frantically. "Get away from there!"

Snape sneered. "I don't think I will. You see, I've been waiting for a long time to find Lupin's secret." With that, he slipped down into the passageway, just as the Willow unfroze. Unfortunately, James didn't happen to see this, as he was sprinting towards the hole himself. He was almost there, when a swinging branch slashed him across the chest. He went flying backwards with a thud. He scrambled to his feet, dazed, and shook his head to clear it.

James could see the tree winding up to throw him another punch. He ran as fast as he could and made a diving leap into the passageway. He felt a branch ripping at his leg as he flew by, but ignored the pain and focused on the dim figure of Snape ahead of him. Snape was jogging, but he was so out of shape that James took three steps for each of his, even with a bad leg.

James looked ahead and began to see the faint light coming from the door to the Shrieking Shack. He picked up speed. Apparently, Sirius had had trouble with moving the werewolf along. Remus couldn't move very fast when the sun began to come up. James was almost even with the Slytherin, but it was too late.

Remus had caught scent of the two humans, and his instincts overtook the pain. He slowly turned to growl at them. James saw Snape freeze. He waited for Sirius to head the werewolf off, but to his surprise, Sirius didn't seem to be doing anything. In fact, he didn't even seem to realize that James was there. With a flash of understanding, James remembered how Snape had taunted Sirius and Alex, and remembered the look on his friends face… he intended for Snape to come down here and be killed! At the very least, bitten! And James couldn't change into his Animagus form, not with Snape standing in plain sight.

And then Remus took a step forward.


	46. Fleeing the Tree

Sirius grinned to himself as he saw Snape being eyed hungrily by Remus. Everything was going as planned. He intended for the Slytherin to be a little shaken up when this encounter was over. Snape had searched for the reason Remus had been disappearing for too long. And then, the last straw had been when he insulted Alex, right when she was so distraught… yes, this would certainly keep Snape off their backs for a while.

Of course, he couldn't let Snape actually be attacked by a werewolf… not when Remus could be expelled or in serious trouble with the law for it. Sirius planned to jump in and herd Remus back into his room, though he would much rather let Snape fend for himself. Sirius sat by on his haunches, enjoying the look of pure terror on his enemy's face. Then, a sudden rustling from inside the shadows caught his attention. Sirius heard a voice issue an order in hushed tones, "Don't look him in the eye, Snape. He'll attack sooner."

Sirius froze, his pleasure melting away. He knew that voice. What was James doing down here? If he wasn't careful, he could be hurt! Frantic thoughts swirled around in his head, confusing him even more. This wasn't supposed to happen! Why would James try to help Snape?

However, all thought seemed to stream out of his head as he saw the muscles in the werewolf's back begin to ripple. He had seen him go through these motions many times throughout their many nights of roaming around the forest- Remus was going to pounce. Without fully knowing what he was doing, Sirius jumped in front of the two wide-eyed sixth years. Sirius knew that was a stupid thing to do; he would probably be bitten. He felt something long and hard sink into his right flank, then rip itself out with a jagged movement. Through darkening eyes he could see that James and Snape had already started to run, leaving him alone with a rabid werewolf.

Sirius turned around. Moony's hard yellow eyes were glinting in the dim light. They rolled around in pleasure at the smell of fresh blood being spilt. In fact, the eyes were almost a different color entirely- looking like a smoky gray… The werewolf stiffened. From his mangled position on the ground, Sirius could see the fur straighten out, then shrink. Bloody claws were retracted into paling feet. A moan filled the passage, filled with the loss of prey, then became filled with pain. Sirius watched, unmoving, as his attacker slowly, painfully morphed into one of his best friends.

* * *

When Remus was fully himself, his eyes rolled back into his head. Every month, he thought he'd had the most painful transition possible. And every month, he was proven wrong yet again. He let the pain and emotions roll over his body, then pass. He blinked slowly. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why wasn't he in the Shrieking Shack? That was highly unusual.

He reached up to scratch his chin, and the situation grew stranger. Why was there water on his fingers? He held them and squinted, trying to see in the dim light. The bluish glow was changing the color of his fingers… making them look red… Remus gasped. Blood. On his fingers. A low moan stumbled through his caked lips. _"No…" _he muttered. After all these years of careful containment in the Shack, his werewolf self had found a victim. He struggled to his feet and lurched towards the door. Perhaps whoever it was survived…

His feet connected with a large hump in the middle of the floor. Already disoriented, Remus fell to his knees. Remus closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see. He recognized the dark fur that his hands were feeling. _'He might need your help,'_ the little voice inside his head was saying. Remus forced his eyes open and stood on his shaking legs. He reached behind a nearby, familiar rock. He always hid his wand close by when he transformed. He grabbed the familiar wood and pointed it at his friend. _"Lu- lumos!"_ he shouted, louder than he had intended to. In spite of himself, Remus gasped. A large, jagged gash had been cut into the large dog's flank. Remus knew deep in his stomach that he had been the cause. He closed his eyes and tried to recall what he had read about Animagus transformations. _'To make an Animagus change back, oh what was the spell… he can't go to the hospital wing like this…the Restoring Spell!'_ His eyes snapped open, and he trained his wand on Sirius. With a flash of blue light, his friend lay before him, once again in human form.

The bleeding wound was now running down the side of his torso, ending just before the knee. Remus grimaced and muttered, _"Wingardium Leviosa," _and slowly started the journey back out to the castle.

* * *

Snape bent over, panting. "What were you trying to pull, Potter! Is this your idea of fun? Yes, let's put Snape down a secret passage and see what he does when he meets a real, live werewolf!"

James glared at him. "In case you haven't noticed, Snape, I was down there with you, trying to save your neck!"

"Only because you were the one that put it in danger! Did you chicken out at the last minute, and decide that it wasn't worth getting expelled for? Because that's what will happen, if I have anything to say about it."

"In case you've forgotten, Snape, I was the one who tried to STOP you from going down there!"

Snape continued on, pretending not to hear James. "And I'll bet that YOU were the one who told me to go down there in the first place!"

"I- what?" James looked confused, then angry. "Who told you to go down there?"

"That stupid note you wrote, Potter. Remember? _'If you want to know where Lupin goes every month just press the largest knot on the Whomping Willow before dawn on Sunday.'_"

James felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Someone found out about Remus being a werewolf? This meant that somebody must have been watching them… or was that why Sirius had hesitated to defend Snape? Was _he_ the one that lured Snape, defenseless, down the tunnel?

Then, a sharp stinging ran across his leg. James looked over his shoulder, and , yet again, froze. He and Snape had been arguing at the entrance to the tunnel for too long; the freezing spell on the Willow had worn off. He turned back to warn Snape… and got swept off his feet. This time, something really _did_ punch him in the stomach. A large, knotted branch carried him a few feet until he slid down. He lay on the ground dazed, trying to clear his head. He drew a shaky breath, and saw another branch hissing down at him. He hurriedly tried to roll away, but the morning dew made the ground slippery and he didn't make it all the way. He felt the wood connect with his leg, and gasped at the immense pain. His eyes watered, and he bit his lip to keep from screaming. Unfortunately, his teeth bit right into it, and James could feel the blood trickling down his chin. He twisted his neck to the side, and saw yet another branch coming for him. He closed his eyes and braced for impact.

* * *

Peter sat behind the tree, huddled in his rat form. He had been ready to turn back into a human when Snape had appeared. Afraid that he would be seen, he quickly hid. _'This is not good!'_ he thought frantically.

* * *

Remus poked his head through the hole at the end of the tunnel. No one was in sight, but the Willow was still swinging around. Remus reached through the hole and slammed his hand down on the familiar knot. He knew he had to get Sirius to the Hospital Wing, and fast. He floated Sirius in front of him and stepped into the light of the rising sun.

The grounds were slightly illuminated, but all Remus could see were dark blurs. A dark blur for the castle, a dark blur for the tree, a dark blur under the tree… He stared at the figure under the tree. It was in the shape of a human… Remus paled- had he attacked two students last night? Moving Sirius out of the tree's range (it would be unfrozen soon), he moved over to the boy. He as lying on his back, unconscious. Remus rolled him over and let out a low moan. "Please, Merlin, no…" It was James. Remus forced himself to look down at the bleeding leg and started. Yes, it was crushed, but the wound hadn't been caused by an animal. Strangely, Remus took comfort in this. He reached down and fished through James's pockets, until he found what he was looking for. A wand. He smiled in triumph, and Levitated the second boy as well. Using his own wand he steered Sirius. Moving slowly with two wands pointed at his friends, Remus made his way to the castle.

* * *

Back behind the tree, Peter ordered himself to stop shaking. It didn't work. He had seen the Willow bend backwards to hit James, but hadn't been able to do anything about it. And then, Once James was down, he saw the deadly blow ready to fall. Unknowingly, Remus had frozen the tree just seconds before James would have been injured beyond repair. But when Snape had seen that someone else was coming through the passage, he fled in fear with only a few minor scratches. _'The coward,"_ Peter thought.

He reached for his wand, which was camouflaged at the base of the tree, and changed back into his normal self. He was about to lean back and take a few deep breaths- it had been a stressful night- but he felt the tree shudder under his hand. With a small squeak, Peter sprinted clumsily back up to the castle.


	47. Consequences

Darkness. It was everywhere, pressing painfully into his lungs, mercilessly pushing the air out of his body. He slowly became more and more aware of this as his senses crept back into his body.

Sirius frowned. He remembered the werewolf digging into his side, but nothing had injured his chest area. He blinked his bleary eyes and smiled. He recognized the golden head sleeping on his chest. He brushed some hair away from Alex's face, then jumped as she stirred.

"Sirius?" She asked sleepily, rising from slumber. She turned to face him, blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"How long have I been out?" Sirius asked, wincing as the effort rustled the bandages on his side painfully.

Alex rubbed the side of her face that she had been resting on. "Two and a half days," she muttered. "A long two and a half days. Are you in pain?"

"Er, not really, I guess."

Alex's eyes flashed. "Then would you mind telling what EXACTLY you were thinking? You snuck out onto the grounds WAY after curfew, went too close to the forbidden forest, and got attacked by a BLOODY MONSTER! What in Merlin's beard possessed you?"

Not for the first time that day, Sirius winced. So that was the story Dumbledore was telling the school.

"AND now James hasn't woken up or showed any reaction to any of Madam Pomfrey's treatments! Remus is slowly sinking into depression, Peter can't sleep, Lily's been walking around like a zombie, and the Potters are frantic!"

Sirius felt as though the wind was kicked violently out of him. "What happened to James?"

"He and Remus 'rushed to save you as soon as they saw you were missing,' according to Dumbledore, and his leg was totally mutilated. But don't you think I buy that for a minute! Something's going on, and no one will tell me what it is, so you'd better start talking, Sirius Black!" She was standing up now, leaning over a cowering Sirius.

"He was helping me," a voice said from the corner of the room. They both turned to face Remus, who began walking towards them. "When I was a child, my father upset some very powerful and nasty people. They turned to Fenrir Greyback, who willingly obliged and bit my father's only son, me. He was a werewolf, as am I."

Alex gaped at him, but he continued dully, staring at a spot above Sirius's bed. "Dumbledore still let me attend Hogwarts, after certain precautions had been… implanted. When my three best friends found out in third year, they did everything they could to ease my pain, eventually learning to… transform… every full moon, as I did."

Alex whirled to face Sirius. "You're an Animagi!" she whispered.

He nodded glumly. "Everything went well, until that day in Potions. I was so angry at Snape, and I snapped. I told him how to get to the place of Remus's transformations on a full moon."

Remus stared at him impassively, as Alex gasped. "Sirius! How could you! Don't you know what could have happened!"

Sirius looked away in shame. "I only meant to let him stay long enough to be terrified, only so he would stop. But then James followed Snape, and I had to fight a werewolf to protect them. Obviously, it didn't turn out so well for me," he said with a crooked grin.

Alex glanced quickly between the two now silent boys. "But, does that mean- will you- are you-"

Sirius forced himself to look Remus in the eyes. "I don't know how I got hurt. I guess we'll find out next month, eh?" He squirmed uncomfortably in his bed. "Remus, mate, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking- you know how I get when I'm mad. Are we- I mean-"

Remus strode over to Sirius, and gazed at him intently. A moment later, his fist popped out and cracked against Sirius's jaw. "I forgive you."

"Then what was that for!" Sirius exclaimed.

"It made me feel better." Remus said as he walked away.

Sirius rubbed his jaw and turned back to Alex, who was smirking. "Now what?" he asked irritably.

"You deserved it," she said, walking back to his side. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, "But I still love you anyway."

* * *

She stood nervously in the shadows of night, wringing her hands. Why had she come here? Silly question. She needed someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't hear her. She needed to talk to _him_. At the moment, the two were one and the same. Still, it couldn't hurt to be sure.

"James?" Lily whispered softly, hesitantly. As she expected, the only answer was slow, almost mechanical breathing. She breathed a sigh of relief and moved in closer, and sat in one of the hard chairs clustered around the bed.

"I- well- I suppose this is silly of me, but I think it would be even sillier to think aloud to myself. Oh no, I already started to sound silly. Oh, I shouldn't have come. But I did, so here it goes." She took a deep breath. "Alex and Remus told us about what happened- well, what they know. Peter filled in the rest. So, I have to ask- What did you save Snape for? Wait, that's not what I mean!" she panicked slightly. "I meant to say, why did _you_ do it. Why not Peter, or Sirius?" Lily pulled her knees into her chest. "That would have made things a lot less complicated. For me, at least. All these years, I've been telling myself that you were a selfish, egotistical prick. And I must say, you didn't do much to change my opinion. So I was… safe, I guess, from whatever spell you put on all the other girls. You had a good side; I'm sure, which was what everyone else saw. But the Slytherins and I, we saw the bad side. And for me, that bad side overshadowed all the good. But now, you're… changing. And I don't know how to deal with that. The bad James Potter wouldn't have even thought about helping Snape, but you did. So now, I don't know what to think."

She drew a shaky breath and pulled her knees in closer, and forced herself to look at him. "You've changed, James Potter, and you're changing me with you. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but you've messed my life up in more ways than I know. But I'm not sure if that's a bad thing. And I don't know whether to cry or cheer, or hug you or slap you, but just thinking about doing anything, anything at all, makes me panic and feel like jumping off a tower, simply because it would involve you. So I don't know if it's just in my mind or not, I just know that it's not normal."

She looked at him, taking it all in. Under her breath, she whispered, almost pleading for an answer, "James Potter, what have you done to me?"

Lily rested her chin on her knee in silence. Minutes passed, but she didn't move her eyes. Unconsciously, she was breathing along with him. In, out. In, out. In, out, out…

James's chest deflated. Lily stared in terrifying awe, not breathing. Suddenly, James started coughing and sat halfway upright.

Lily's natural reaction was to jump in shock, and she did. Unfortunately, from her awkward position in the chair, this action caused her to tumble out into a sprawled position on her back against the cold floor, gasping for breath. The hacking on the cot above came to a stop. After a slight pause, squinting hazel eyes peeked over the edge of the bed.

"Lily? What are you doing on the floor?"


	48. Peter's Shining Moment

"Lily? What are you doing on the floor?"

Lily froze. James was looking at her, blinking repeatedly. He shook his head, and groped around on the nearby table for his glasses. He clumsily jammed them on his head. Once again, he turned to face the shocked girl on the floor.

Lily regained her senses all at once and scrambled onto her knees, then to an unsteady stance on her feet. "Er- well- I was just- you see…"

James laughed, then spoke. "I don't really _need_ to know, if you don't want to tell me."

Lily blushed and looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, not really knowing what she was apologizing for. "Are you- does it hurt?"

James nodded, and propped himself up on his elbows. "A bit. A lot, actually. Feels like my leg is on fire."

Forcing herself to look him in the face, Lily saw the pain he was trying to mask. "Wait here," she whispered. She sneaked out through the curtain surrounding the bed and made her way to Madam Pomfrey's medicine cupboards at the other end of the room. She opened it, and winced as it creaked loudly. Luckily, the Wing was almost empty, and those in it were mostly too drugged to wake up. She snatched a few bottles marked 'painkiller' and sprinted back to Potter's bed.

She fumbled around with the jars for a little while, then held a small one up. A blue liquid rolled sluggishly inside. "I think this one might help. Drink the whole thing-"

James grabbed the bottle and looked at it dubiously. "You are the Potions whiz," he said as he popped off the cork. He threw his head back and poured it in. Immediately, his face contorted. "Gah! Are you trying to kill me, woman?"

Lily firmly put her hands on her hips. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't use a Potion. No, I'd come up with a much better scheme, and believe me, I came up with plenty when I was younger every time after you teased me."

James used the back of his hand to wipe the extra potion away from his mouth. "You did? Really? That's actually funny, in a way. But, Lily, I didn't really _mean_ anything by what I said. You know that, right? I mean, we were just kids!"

Lily frowned. "I suppose…" Just then, the clock tower chimed. "Listen, Potter, if I'm going to be awake at all tomorrow for class, I'd better be going back to the dormitories."

James nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow?" He had meant it to sound like a simple statement, but came out more like a question.

Lily shrugged. "If I can make it. Goodnight, James." She walked out of the wing and started towards the Gryffindor Common Room, slightly ecstatic. A whole conversation with Potter and not a single blunder! She'd been certain she'd mess it up, let something mean slip, but she didn't… Lily panicked. What if she had said something wrong! For the rest of the walk, she reviewed their entire talk in her mind, analyzing everything. Miraculously, she didn't meet Filch or Peeves in the corridors, not that she noticed.

* * *

After awaking, James and Sirius's wounds healed rather quickly. However, no one knew for certain what had injured Sirius- werewolf claws… or teeth. There was no known diagnosis, so Sirius was forced to endure a month of uncertainty- only then would his condition be known.

Four days after waking up, James was able to limp back to the Gryffindor Common Room to many cheering housemates. Sirius, who had gotten out of the Hospital Wing only a day before (werewolf wounds- either claws or teeth- are hard to heal) had made an emergency trip to Honeydukes and relieved them of quite a bit of their stock. The following morning, the clerks found themselves to be several Galleons richer than they should have been.

So that night, the Gryffindors were celebrating, and James found himself telling many captivated listeners of his "courage" in "fighting" the beasts of the Forbidden Forest. "So, a whole pack of them had me and Remus surrounded. It was so dark, I could only see their eyes, and they were glowing. They darted in to snatch at us, and we'd use whatever spells we could think of to drive them back. Then, they all dove at once. I was hit in the back and went down. I felt them tearing at my leg, and that's when I blacked out."

A random third year yelled out, "What about the game on Monday? Will you be able to play?"

James froze. In all honesty, he had forgotten about the match against Ravenclaw. Not only could it pull Gryffindor into first in the standings, but it was also the last game before the Christmas break.

* * *

"Absolutely not!" roared Madam Pomfrey.

"But- I _have_ to play! This game is one of the most important of the year! We need to win this!"

"Then use your backup Chaser, Mr. Potter."

"But he's not _good_ enough! _Please_ say I can play!"

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I'm sorry Mr. Potter. My word is final."

* * *

"Welcome… to… QUIDDITCH!" Bertha yelled into the microphone. "Here come the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams now! Most of them you know, but since he's out with an unfortunate injury, Potter has been temporarily replaced with… this can't be right. Peter Pettigrew?"

But her information was correct. Peter came soaring onto the field on James's trusted broom. From the stands, Lily frowned. Potter never let anyone touch his broom. Speaking of which… "Remus, where's Potter?"

"In the Common Room, sulking," he replied without taking his eyes off the game, which was just starting.

"Hey, Pettigrew!" Amos Diggory, a Ravenclaw Seeker, yelled.

Peter turned to face him. "What do you want, Diggory?"

"Without your Golden Boy, Gryffindor is going down! And so are you!" He had never really been one with words.

Peter smiled deviously. "We'll see about that." Madam Hooch blew her whistle and tossed the Quaffle up into the air. To the surprise of everyone, Peter was the first one to dart in and grab it. He sped for the goal, taking advantage of the shocked Ravenclaw players. Their Keeper himself was so dumbfounded at the sight of _Peter_, of all people, speeding towards him, no effort was made on his part to stop the Quaffle flying through the air. It sailed perfectly into the left hoop, and the Gryfindors erupted into cheers.

"Ten points to Gryffindor!" cries Bertha, not quite believing what she was saying. In fact, most of the game progressed in that manner. Peter scored goal after goal, putting Gryffindor ninety points ahead. Once, the Ravenclaws managed to score a goal. But only once.

The game started to get boring, actually, for the fans. Sirius, who was acting as Captain of the team, took notice of this, and decided to do something about it. He flew over to Frank, told him of the plan, and the pair of them flew over to a frustrated Amos. They each took a side, and started flying in slow circles around his broom. Amos looked at them warily, and tried to back out of the way. But Sirius blocked his exit. Frank then took to flying over his head, and under his broom, while Sirius continued on their old course. They sped up, faster and faster, until none of the spectators could see the Ravenclaw Chaser. Amos himself could not escape, for fear of running into one of the boys. Sirius yelled something to Frank, who took off. Now Sirius pointed his broom towards Amos, and hit the end of his broom. Amos was violently spun around in circles, until Sirius jerked away, sending the boy spiraling up into the air. The Gryffindors laughed loudly, drowning out the protests of the Ravenclaws.

Sirius did nothing to help, instead choosing to fly over their heads and pump them up even more. Suddenly, Peter flew to his side and pointed at his watch. Sirius frantically motioned to Madam Hooch for a time out, which was granted. The team flew down to their side of the field, where their water bottles were kept. Peter made a face and drank one of the many bottles that had his name on them. Sirius faced the team. He raised his hands and made a calming motion with them, saying, "Now I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you hear today."

Some of the team nodded, and Sirius shrugged. "I just figured that you might all want a break, really. Now, are you ready to fly again?"

The team cheered and mounted their brooms.

* * *

Lily made her way down from the stands almost an hour later. She and the Gryffindors headed towards their Common Room in a wild euphoria, cheering and holding Peter above their heads. Peter was laughing. At the entrance to the portrait, he was set down. "Speech, speech!" the crowd yelled.

He laughed again, and the crowd went silent. "I happen to know for a fact that someone has set up a whole lot of Hogsmeade treats inside, so I'll make this quick. I'd just like to say that I think we showed the whole school what Gryffindor can do!"

The crowd roared in delight, and Peter continued. "Lions for the Cup!" he screamed.

A number of seventh years took up the chant. Peter opened the portrait door and stepped aside. "Lions for the Cup!" the crowd yelled as they piled inside. Lily was about to walk in, shaking her head (she wasn't _that_ crazy about Quidditch) when someone grabbed her arm. Peter pulled her over to the side.

"Hey Lily." He said, blushing. "Well, I saw that you signed up to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays."

Lily nodded slowly. Indeed, she had put her name on the list when Professor McGonagall passed it around- in fact, it was posted right where they were standing now- but why would Peter be asking about it? "Er, Peter?" she asked.

Peter slapped his forehead. "Oh, I completely forgot! What time is it?"

"Er, almost six, why?"

"Just wait," He said. "Any minute now."

Lily rolled her eyes. Boys were so _strange_ sometimes. She jumped as the grip on her arm started to change. She looked down, and saw that Peter's hand was _bubbling_! It was expanding, getting darker.

She looked up from the hand and into the face of the boy next to her.

"Hi, Lily," James Potter said with a crooked grin.


	49. Invitations and Mutterings

Lily stared at the boy in front of her- James Potter- who had less than two minutes ago been Peter Pettigrew. "Potter! I- how did you-"

He smiled at her. "We always keep a few bottles of Polyjuice Potions brewed for, er, special occasions. This definitely qualified. You're not going to turn me in, are you," he finished with a teasing smile.

Lily shook her head. "Some people I'll never understand, and you Marauders are definitely at the top of the list."

"Well, back to what I was saying before. What are you going to do over the break?"

"I'm certainly not going to go home to visit Petunia, if that's what you mean. I was just going to stay here at Hogwarts this year. Why do you ask?" she asked, trying very hard not to look down, where she would see James's hand still holding her arm. And it didn't help that his hand felt so warm against her skin, which was still cold from the crisp outside air.

James glanced at his feet. "Well, I- er, I owled my parents, and they said that you could- if you wanted to, that is- stay with us over break. At my house. With m- I mean, with us. And Sirius. If you wanted to." His cheeks glowed a hot red as he realized how badly he'd mangled his words.

Lily could almost feel her heart stop. Spend the break with the _Potters!_ That might not be such a great idea. Just the thought of lying in bed knowing that James was in the next room… this wasn't supposed to be happening! She had planned to spend the break trying to forget about James, try to get her life back to normal. And James wasn't helping at all- standing there, right in front of her… '_This isn't supposed to be happening! I'm not supposed to like James Potter! …Oh Merlin,'_ she thought, panicking. _'I did NOT just think that.'_

"Er… Lily? Are you okay?" James asked, confused. He thought it had been a simple question…

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, startled. "Oh yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking. Er… I don't know… I mean, isn't it a little late? Break starts tomorrow…"

James grinned. "I already thought of that. I talked to McGonagall, and she said it would be just fine."

Lily tilted her head to look up at him, standing in front of the list of students staying at Hogwarts. Suddenly, she was filled with a strong desire to accept his offer. But still… "Are you _sure _your parents wouldn't mind?"

Instead of answering, James smiled at her, grabbed his wand, and erased her name from the list.

* * *

Lily sat anxiously in the last class of the day, Potions. "Merlin, Lily!" Alice yelled as she dodged the slimy, disgusting newt eyes that Lily accidentally sent flying her way.

"Oh, sorry!" Lily moaned as she tried to pick up her spilled ingredients.

Alex shook her head as she bent over page ten of her Potions book, which had been splattered with armadillo bile one particularly ill-fated Potions day: it now looked as though someone had thrown up all over it. "What's been with you lately? If you're that nervous about going to the Potter's, then maybe you should-"

"I am NOT nervous about going… there!" Lily sputtered out, after rechecking that there was no Marauder in hearing distance. All four had been sent to see Professor McGonagall earlier in the class for pouring frog spawn into Snape's cauldron, causing a nasty reaction that left half the room colored green, including some of the students and Professor Slughorn's feet. The rest of her had been protected by her desk as she dove underneath it.

"Yes you are," Alice stated. "If you were feeling like your normal self, you would have at least been halfway done by now, like usual, but today you're actually at the same place as the rest of us."

Slughorn walked by their table, and the girls fell silent. The professor shook her head at Alex's Potion. "The Draught of the Living Death is supposed to be more of a blue than a green at this stage, Miss Vivir. But, Alice, I think you're heading in the right direction. You just might want to pick up the pace a little. And Lily, your Potion looks perfect, as usual, but it seems that you are falling behind from your usual standards. However, I suppose this is to be expected, as your break starts in less than two hours." Shaking his head, Slughorn walked over to the next table.

Lily turned back to her friends. "James invited me over as a friend, and I accepted as a friend. That's all."

"For now," Alex muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Lily asked sharply, turning quickly to glare at her.

"Nothing, nothing, Lily," Alex answered with a grin, as she bent back over her Potions book.

* * *

"Relax, mate. She wouldn't have said yes if she wasn't coming," Sirius said to as nervous James, who was desperately trying to smooth down his hair as he waited for Lily at the bottom of the dormitory stairs.

"But we were going to meet here at 6:00!" James shouted, half in frustration with his hair, half in anxiety over the time.

Remus sighed. "Yes, I know. 6:00. You have now told us seven times. And I still don't see why that is such a big problem."

James turned to him, eyes wild. "It is now 6:04! **6:04**! That's four minutes late! She's not coming! I know it! I scared her off- I did something wrong! What did I do WRONG?"

James went over to go pace by the fireplace, going over every conversation he'd had with Lily. Since first year. Repeating them when he thought he found something wrong. And as they hated each other in the early years of school, he repeated many conversations.

Peter and Sirius glanced at each other, and had to quickly look away to bite back their laughter. Remus held his head in his hands as he wondered where he and the other two Marauders had failed with James, when he heard someone coming down the stairs.

He looked up to see Lily dragging her trunk down the stairs, also muttering to herself. She reached the bottom with a loud 'thump,' then looked at her watch (specially modified to work even at Hogwarts, with all the magical energy flying around). "Oh NO!" she yelled to no one in particular. She glanced around the room, and not seeing James (who was hidden behind a rather large armchair), sat on her trunk and covered her face with her hands. "I KNEW it!" she cried. "I was too late! It's 6:05! He already left! He hates me! Oh no oh no oh no…"

Remus cleared his throat, and Lily jumped as she saw him for the first time. "Actually, Lily, he hasn't left yet."

Lily looked up at him with hope on her face. "He hasn't?" she asked breathlessly, still slightly that Remus might be joking.

"No. Actually, he's right over there." He motioned to behind the chair, and Lily leaned over to see around it.

"James?" she called out.

There was a slight pause in the mutterings, and then James poked his head out from behind the chair. "Lily!" he answered.

They both started talking at once, as James rushed forward to grab her trunk (Lily had jumped off it by now). "I was worried I told you the wrong time, and I didn't know if you decided to stay, or if you'd already left, or…"

"Alex borrowed my blue robes, and I couldn't find them, and then I forgot some of my books, and I wasn't sure if we had Potions homework, and…"

Their voices slowly faded away as they left the common room. Alex and Alice cautiously walked down from the dormitory to where the remaining Marauders were still standing. "Is she gone?" Alice asked.

Remus nodded, and the girls joined the three boys in looking at the portrait James and Lily had just exited through. "Thank Merlin," Alex said. "She's been like that all day."

"Not James," Sirius said.

Remus turned to look at him, eyes open wide. "Where've you been lately?"

"James has been like that for a week. Starting before he even asked her," Sirius continued.

"I see," Alice said. They continued looking at the portrait hole for another moment. "Do you think we should have told them that the train doesn't leave for another hour?" she asked/

Sirius grinned at her. "Not a chance. This break is definitely going to be interesting."


	50. Questions in the Night

Lily and James awkwardly sat at the Kings Cross train station, waiting for the elder Potters to arrive. Sirius was off in a corner with Alex, saying goodbye for break (Alex was going on a trip with her family- after TJ's death, her mother had been adamant about her staying with them as much as possible).

Lily was trying very hard to not meet James's eyes. She still wasn't sure how she felt about him. Yes, she could now admit to herself that she was attracted to him, but that wasn't saying much. Every other girl in school was as well. And Lily needed something more than physical attraction to base a relationship on. She sighed. It was going to be very hard to keep her hormones in check over break.

James, as well, was nervous about break. He and Lily were finally getting along, after five years of arguing. Granted, they still argued. A lot. But somehow it wasn't as big of a deal as before. And he was pretty sure she didn't hate him anymore. At least, that's what Remus said. And James trusted his opinion. He sighed. Lily still wouldn't look at him. He looked around the station instead, searching for something to occupy his mind.

"James! JAMES!" Mrs. Potter started pushing her way through the crowd. "There you are! I was talking to Mrs. Longbottom, sorry to keep you waiting, but when Mrs. Longbottom wants to talk to you… well, I couldn't exactly say no. Ah, Lily darling, so good to see you again!"

After giving Lily a swift, tight hug, Mrs. Potter turned once more to her son. "I see you've gotten her to come along- excellent! Oh James, it's so good to see you again!"

James grinned. "It's good to see you too, Mum." He reached down and gave her a hug, lifting her off the floor several inches.

"Now where is Sirius?" Mrs. Potter asked as soon as she was back on the ground. "Please tell me he'll be joining us for break as well."

James rolled his eyes. "As if he wouldn't. Oh, here he is now." Sirius approached them from the side, alone, as Alex had already left. "Mrs. Potter, the love of my life! I've missed you so these past months."

Giggling slightly, Mrs. Potter allowed herself to be swept off her feet once more. "You're lucky Howard isn't here to hear you say such things, young man. He's rather sweet on me, you know?"

Laughing, the foursome made their way to the Floo gates. Lily was thrilled. At her previous stay at the Potter's, she never really got to know James's parents. She was much looking forward to the opportunity now.

* * *

The Potter Manor was just as impressive as Lily remembered, as was her room. It was just as light and open as before, although Lily made sure to add a few extra locking charms to the door that connected with Potter's room. Just because she didn't hate him anymore didn't mean she totally trusted him. A knock sounded at her door just as she finished.

"Lily, can I come in?" It was James, of course.

"Yes, the door's unlocked."

James opened the door, then leaned against its side. "Mum wants you to know that dinner starts in five minutes. Also, she wishes to convey that should I do anything remotely 'disrespectful or hormonal,' she wants you to tell her so she can lock me in the basement for a few years. Just so you know."

Lily laughed. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She looked at him, intent on saying something rather witty, but unfortunately caught his eyes with her own and the words died somewhere on the journey from her brain to her mouth. The way he casually leaned against the doorjamb, shooting her that crooked grin… she jerked away and looked out the window. "I'll be down soon." She felt, rather than heard, James leave the room. Looking in the mirror, Lily scowled at her reflection. "Watch it Evans. Don't do things like that. He's a _friend_. Worse, he's _James Potter_. Stay away from those types of thoughts. Just stay away."

Sufficiently chided (by herself), Lily turned around and headed down the stairs to join the rest of the household.

* * *

Lily walked in just as Mrs. Potter was scolding Mr. Potter, and promptly hid behind the door. "Late again, Howard? They work you too hard over at the Ministry." Mr. Potter was turning rather red, but was still grinning at his wife. "Do you want me to have a word with that Minister? I will, if this becomes a habit. Don't think I won't, either. I'll walk right up to him and do you know what I'll say? I'll say- Howard! Not now! I'm angry with you! Oh, stop it!"

Mr. Potter had leaned down and kissed his wife full on the lips, effectively stopping her rant. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"

Mrs. Potter blushed and shoved him towards the table. "Just sit down… you incorrigible man," she muttered to herself.

Lily giggled, not sure whether or not to walk in yet.

"Sickening, isn't it?" James whispered. Lily jumped.

"Potter! Don't _do _that!"

James ignored her. "I've tried to get them to stop kissing where I might see them. It didn't work. It's like they're not _parents_ or something."

Lily rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I think it's sweet."

Chuckling, James dragged her in to the dining hall, just as Sirius entered from the other side of the room. Clearly, he was ready to be fed.

* * *

Sirius paced in his room nervously. Tonight, he was to take a Portkey back to Hogwarts. Tonight, it would be a month since the last full moon. Tonight, he would know whether or not he was a werewolf.

He played with the old tin can that was to take him to the base of the Whomping Willow. Dumbledore had arranged it, so that he would be safely away from the Potters if he had been infected. He stared off at the wall, not letting himself think. If he was a werewolf… well, he wasn't going to follow that train of thought.

A knock at the door startled him. "C-come in," Sirius stuttered.

The door opened, and a determined looking James walked in. "I'm going with you," he declared. Sirius started to protest, but James cut him off. "I know what you're going to say. 'It's too dangerous, I don't want you there, I can handle it.' Well, that's bloody _great_ for you. But you can't honestly expect me to sit on my thumbs while my best mate goes out to find out if his life is going to be changed forever, do you? You know there's no way you would sit this one out if you were me. So I'm going. I'll just go to stag if… things start to go badly, alright? Don't fight me on this. Because there's no way you're getting rid of me."

Sirius shook his head. "You're bloody crazy, mate. But if there's no stopping you…" He held out the can. "And James… thanks."

The boy just grinned as he grabbed the can, and the two were whirled away into the night.

* * *

Sirius sat on an old crate while James paced the length of the Shrieking Shack. He glanced out the window to his left. It was dark already. The moon would be rising at any minute. He sighed and went to go sit next to Sirius, who took the opportunity to begin his own pacing.

Sirius eventually ended up at the window, staring out as if demanding an answer from the darkness. James watched as his best friend gripped the windowsill with both hands and bowed his head. Time seemed to pass slower and slower. Suddenly, Sirius stiffened. James started so bad that he almost fell off the crate, not that he noticed. _'NO!'_ he thought as he saw Sirius begin to shake and clutch the windowsill even tighter.

"Prongs…" Sirius's voice came out rough and low, almost a growl. James watched in shocked apprehension as Sirius turned around.

He let go of the window, and stretched his arm out to his side. "Look…" was all he said.

James squinted at his arm, and then he saw it. A thin beam of moonlight had found its way through the boards, and lit upon Sirius's arm. And Sirius was… still Sirius.

Frozen for a second, James looked up. A wide grin spread across his face. Sirius had one to match it, and soon the room was filled with ecstatic hollers as the boys exchanged a quick, firm hug, and then proceeded to dance around the floor.

* * *

A/N:

Ok, so… It's been, like, 2 years. I know. I just suddenly felt like writing again. I don't know what brought it on, and I don't know how long it will last, but…. Merry Christmas!

Reviews are greatly appreciated- let me know if I should continue or not, if this chapter fit... just let me know what you think please!

I went through and edited everything, making it canon (surprisingly, there was almost nothing I had to change, except for a few Snape/Lily interactions. I'm asuming, though, at this point, they don't really hang out anymore. They just don't _totally_ hate each other. And I made sure that Snape never directly insults Lily. He may be in the background, but he's never actually the one tormenting her).


	51. A Christmas Eve Dance

The next morning, Lily noticed that the boys look unusually happy. Lily didn't ask why, as experience taught her that she probably wouldn't want to know, anyway. She had little time to dwell on it, though, as it was Christmas Eve, and the day of the big wizarding party at Alice's house. Apparently it was an annual thing, but Lily had never gone before, as she was always in the Muggle world for break.

After lunch, Mrs. Potter followed her up to her room to help ready her for the party. "Now, dear, what is it you were going to wear?" Lily held up a set of blue dress robes that she had bought on a Hogsmeade visit with Alex earlier in the year. "Oh, well, these are very nice. Good quality fabric. However, would you mind if I… tweaked them a little?"

Lily nodded, knowing that she was hopeless when it came to style (especially wizarding style), and laid the robes out on the bed.

Mrs. Potter leaned in to inspect them closer, before muttering a few quick spells. The robes turned a deep, emerald green; a perfect match for Lily's eyes. "There you go, dear. And, as an added touch…"

Mrs. Potter conjured up an ornate green beret to clip Lily's hair back, then nodded with satisfaction. "Alright. Try these on Lily," she commanded. "Let's see how they look on you."

It took Lily a few minutes to change into her elaborate dress robes, but when she stepped out, Mrs. Potter whistled slowly under her breath. "Yes. Oh yes. This is good. My son isn't going to be able to take his eyes off you tonight. Good thing too. He needs a good, strong girl to hold him down."

Taken aback, Lily blushed furiously. "Oh, no Mrs. Potter. I don't think you understand. We're… we're just friends. Really. It's not… like that."

Mrs. Potter smirked at her (and looked rather like her son while doing so). "Of course not my dear. I must be going senile in my old age, or something of that sort. Don't let it bother you." With that, Mrs. Potter left the room.

Lily turned to her mirror and appraised herself, thinking that maybe, just maybe, Mrs. Potter could be right. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be terrible… hold on! What am I talking about! This is Potter. It's a miracle we're even friends! Don't go there, Lily." Nodding firmly to her reflection, Lily spun on her heel and marched down the stairs, ready to Floo to the Vivir's home.

* * *

"LILY!" Lily barely had time to register a blur of red robes rushing towards her before she was almost tackled to the ground.

"Alice!" She gasped, "You're holding on- a little- too tight-"

The hold on her neck lessened as Alice stepped back to look her over. "You look wonderful Lily! How is your break going? Have you killed James yet? Has _he killed you _yet? I only ask because I've got a bet going with Frank- he doesn't think you two will be fighting with each other again until we get back to school. I personally think James will do something to make you furious before that, he always does-James!"

Alice turned as the object of her stream of questions stepped out of the fireplace. "Looking sharp Potter! Oh, I'm so thankful you guys are here! Frank's had me over talking to his mum, and I was beginning to feel utterly insignificant… oh no, I've left Frank alone with her! He made me promise not to - oh, he's going to kill me for sure- alright, well I've got to go…" Still rambling, Alice ran back to the far side of the room where Lily could see a very scared-looking Frank talking to an intimidating woman in a vulture hat.

James was staring after Alice in a confused state of shock. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone talk that fast before. And I've seen Sirius after he discovered Muggle coffee, so that's saying quite a bit."

Lily sniggered. "I believe you've just met what Alex and I like to call 'Hurricane Alice.' She pops up from time to time when Alice is extremely worried. Or stressed. Or nervous. Considering she's just been talking to Mrs. Longbottom, I'd say it's a combination of all three."

"Right. Well, remind me to stay away from that woman as much as possible, then. Now where did Sirius run off to?"

Lily shrugged. "Probably wherever the food is.

James nodded. "Knowing Sirius, I'd say you're probably right. Alright, well let's go into the lion's den."

Lily shot him a look.

James grimaced at her. "The Vivir's Christmas Eve party is one of the biggest events of the year. Anybody who's anybody will be here. Which means a very large portion of the guests are stuffy pureblood aristocrats. Don't be surprised if you see a few of the professors here as well. You wouldn't know it at school, but some of them are quite famous as the top witches and wizards of our time, and so are usually invited."

As they were about to step into the main room, Lily reached out to stop James. "Wait, this is a mostly pureblood party? Does that mean… will the Malfoys be here? Or… the Lestranges?"

James snorted. "Not a chance. These people may be a little uptight and such, but there's no way the Vivirs would invite anyone from that crowd here. In fact, the Vivirs are some of the most vocal leaders against Voldemort's rubbish. So don't worry about them at all."

Lily smiled and the two entered the main party area. Lily looked around in awe. Everyone was scattered around the large ballroom, complete with a self-replenishing banquet table in the corner and an enchanted strings band in the corner. There must have been at least a hundred- maybe even two hundred- people standing around and sipping their drinks. Lily wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Professor Flitwick briefly talking to someone she was almost sure was on the Chudley Cannons team before someone stepped in her way and she lost them in the crowd. She struggled o keep up with James as she followed him over to the food.

Sirius was indeed busy filling his plate with what looked like one of everything. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he was chatting with Remus as he was doing so, while Peter was off at the other end of the table just starting to get some food. She was about to go and say hello when a flash of blue robes and blonde hair caught her eye.

"James? I just saw Alex- I'm going to go say hi before she realizes Sirius is here and we don't see the two of them for the rest of the night." James nodded and headed over to his friends.

Lily struggled to make her way through the crowd. She was almost at Alex's side when someone grabbed her arm and whirled her around. "Li-Evans? What are _you_ doing here?"

Lily glared at the offending party. "What's the matter, Snape? Surprised to see me mixing with a bunch of purebloods? What are _you _doing here? I though your crowd wasn't usually invited."

Snape looked over his shoulder. "Look, it's a bit of a long story. In fact, I-" He broke off as something seemed to catch his eye. "Would you like to dance, Evans?"

Lily's eyes widened considerably. Of all the things she was expecting Snape to say, this would be at the bottom of her list. "What?"

Snape glared at her. "I _said_, would you like to dance, Evans?"

"Well, I… sure, I suppose." Still confused, Lily allowed herself to be led over to the dance floor, and they joined the waltzing dancers spinning under the chandelier.

"Alright Evans, I'll ask you again. _What _are you doing here?"

A little miffed, Lily replied, "I was staying with the Potters, and Alice is one of my best friends. Why _wouldn't_ I be here?"

Snape scowled at her. "At the Potters? You mean it's true then? You and… _Potter_ are dating?" He couldn't even say James's name without growling.

Lily felt her anger flare up. "NO! I am NOT dating Potter! Why must everyone think that? We're _just friends_. Not that you need to know, anyway."

Snape nodded at her. "Right. Look, Lily…" His voice trailed off as he looked over her shoulder. Unexpectedly, his grip on Lily's waist tightened. "There's something… well, you shouldn't be here."

Angrily, Lily tried to get away from him. "Snape, if I wanted to be insulted, I'd bunker up with the rest of your house for a night." Snape grabbed her tighter, pulling her back to him. He looked deep into her eyes, as if trying to convey a secret message.

"No Evans, what I mean is… you _shouldn't_ be _here_. Go home Lily. Or back to the Potters. Wherever. Just _not here_."

Suspiciously, and a little frightened, Lily asked, "What are you saying, Severus? What's going on?"

Snape shifted uncomfortably. "Look, Lily, you just have to-"

"Mind if I cut in?" The words, while polite, were spoken with a rather acid tone. James held out his hand to Lily, who numbly stared at him.

"Not at all… Potter. I have to get going, anyway." Snape sneered at his enemy, before turning back to Lily. "Evans… just trust me on this, alright?"

With that, Snape swirled off, leaving Lily alone with James. The latter stared at her. "What was _that _about?"

It took Lily a moment to speak, and when she did, her voice came out higher than usual. "I think… I think I need to talk to your parents."

James gave her an odd look, before shrugging. _'Girls. So odd sometimes.' _ "I think they're over by the Prewetts… come on, I'll show you."

Lily nodded, and began following James across the floor. She briefly glimpsed the top of Mr. Potter's messy black hair (apparently, it was an inherited trait) when someone grabbed her arm and spun her around for the second time that night. "Lily! It's so good to shee… I mean, see you!"

Lily glared up at Amos Diggory. "Let me go, Amos. You're drunk."

Amos giggled. "No I'm not. Lily, aren't you shupposhed to be shmart? I'm not drunk, I'm _not_-"

With that, he stumbled a little bit, painfully trodding on Lily's feet. "Alright, maybe I'm a _little_ bit drunk, but, you're not going to tell, are you Lily? Please don't take points off. I- er- I… wow Lily. You're really- really pretty. I think I told you that once…"

He trailed off as James, realizing Lily wasn't following him anymore, came up to Lily's side. "Diggory. Please let go of Lily." Once again, his words were nice, but Lily could see that he was clenching his fists and very near to bursting out in anger. She should know- she'd been on the receiving end of that anger many times in the past five years.

Diggory frowned. "Aw, Lily, why are you dating Potter? I mean, Gideon Prewett told me you were, but I didn't believe him…"

Lily rolled her eyes and shoved Diggory aside. "I am NOT dating POTTER!" she shrieked, while pulling out her wand. "Now, get _out_ of my _way_ before I hex you!"

She stalked away, towards where she had last seen the Potters, and saw James jog to catch up with her. "Potter again? Come on, Lily, I thought we were past that."

"Sorry James. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing. When I'm angry, I resort to habits. Nothing personal."

James shrugged. "I suppose I deserve that after the last few years. My parents are right up there." Indeed, Lily could see Mrs. Potter again.

She and James had just gotten the Potters's attention when all the candles in the room flickered out. There was a sudden silence, broken by what sounded like the shattering of glass. The doors on the side of the hall were flung open with a loud bang, and in the short flare of light Lily could see several masses of people in flowing black cloaks enter the room.

And then the screams started.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all have a merry Christmas! This is my present to you guys.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, as I could really use some feedback, support, or criticism. Any little bit helps!


	52. Utter Melee

Lily turned numb as her fellow guests at the party began to scream. Jets of yellow and red light were shooting through the panicking crowd. As Lily watched, though, people quickly came to their senses again and drew their wands.

The Potters rushed over to their son. "You two get out of here!" Mr. Potter yelled as he shot out a Stunner. "Get over to the next room and Floo home!" A pair of Death Eaters then drew the Potters away and into the fight.

A stream of red shot towards Lily. She knew she should duck, or dodge, but she was still in too much shock to move. A quick jerk on her arm, however, brought her to her knees and dragged her under a nearby table. From her crouched position, Lily swiveled on her heels to face James, who had pulled her down with him. "Lily, come on! This isn't the time to go daft!"

Lily's senses returned to her at once. "Right. We need to find the others, James."

His hazel eyes pierced into hers, and he seemed to judge that she was in her right mind again. "The last I saw them, Sirius and Remus were gorging themselves at the banquet table. Stay close, alright?"

Lily nodded, and then gripped her wand tightly as first James, then herself, sprang up from their hiding place. The dance floor they had just begun to be infiltrated by mask-bearing wizards, and the fighting was fierce. Lily saw Professor McGonagall in the middle of the fray, leading the defenses on the side. She was battling three Death Eaters at a time, while Flitwick was darting around other duelers, catching the dark-robed fighters by surprise. Lily was also surprised to see their old Defense Professor Milles driving back the attackers from the fireplace, giving the less skilled duelers a chance to escape.

James pushed his way through the melee. Lily tried to follow, but soon was blocked by a tall Death Eater. Lily stumbled a little as she stepped backwards, and the man raised his wand. "_Expulso_," he bellowed.

Lily felt her body respond reflexively. "_Protego,_" she yelled, and the spell rebounded back onto her Death Eater. He dodged, but the spell struck one of his compatriots in the back and blew him off his feet.

Not waiting to be attacked again, Lily called out, "_Petrificus Totalus,_" as the man began a complicated swishing movement with his wand. The man's arms and legs snapped together. As she rushed past him, Lily reached out to tip him over onto the ground with grim satisfaction.

* * *

James skidded to a stop beside Sirius, who was helping a bruised and slightly green Peter off the ground. "What happened, mate?" James asked as he assisted him.

Sirius spoke with suppressed anger. "One of them snuck up behind us and attacked Peter. Remus and I stopped him before he could do anything permanent, but Peter's a little banged up. Wish I had gotten whoever it was before they ran away. I think it was one of my relatives."

Remus wiped away some blood that was running down his arm. "We need to get out of here. We're not experienced enough to contribute much. Let's grab the girls and go."

James whipped around, and cursed. Lily was nowhere to be seen. "Lily was following me; she must have gotten lost in the crowd. Remus and I'll go back for her. Sirius, can you and Peter go find Alex? Keep an eye out for Frank and Alice as well. I'm pretty sure they were with some of the Aurors before this started, so they should be safe. If neither of us finds them before meeting up at the fireplace, then we'll start looking upstairs."

"And don't try to be a hero, Sirius. Help if you can, but remember, these aren't like the villains from fairytales. They probably won't hesitate to kill you." Remus also stared at James as he spoke, then started fighting his way back onto the floor with James following.

Sirius and Peter gripped their wands, and then headed in the opposite direction. Luckily, Sirius had seen Alex disappear into a nearby sitting room right before the attacks started, and he was fairly certain she was still there. As he turned into the room, he was livid to see her facing off several Death Eaters at once. At least Frank and Alice were by her side, and fiercely holding their own. It seemed as though the three were reluctant to dodge, but Sirius soon saw why. They were standing in front of a huddled bunch of younger children, most of whom looked like they weren't even old enough to have their own wands. Peter and Sirius shuffled to their side. One of the Death Eaters saw them approach and attempted to hex them, but Alice used his momentary lack of concentration to Stun him.

Spells were flying everywhere, and Peter was quickly caught up in casting Shield spells to cover for his friends, who were more focused on returning fire. Sirius soon saw that they were greatly hindered by their inability to dodge. "We have to get these kids out of here!" he yelled to Alex as he shot a Leg-Locker curse at the nearest attacker. "You and Peter take them to the Floo and take them to the Potter's. We'll follow you after we get rid of these blokes."

Alex glared at him, about to argue, but changed her mind as she saw a little girl tearfully raise her head to look at her with hope. She got Peter's attention. "Keep them between us and the wall. I'll take the front, you take the back. Whatever you do, _don't duck_! The curse will hit them instead." Peter nodded, and then shot one last curse at the Death Eaters. Slowly, Alex inched behind Alice and Frank until she was at the front of the group.

"Alright you lot, listen up. You're going to stand up and follow me. Keep close to the wall and to each other. Don't wander away. We're going to get you out of here."

The children, seven in all, looked at her with wide eyes. "Move!" Peter yelled, and they scrambled to their feet. Alex led them towards the fireplaces, blocking any wayward spells that came their way. Luckily, the Death Eaters they were dueling didn't seem much interested in their escape, choosing instead to go after the remaining teens. Alex looked back and swiftly looked Sirius in the eyes, then turned and urged her charges along.

* * *

James quickly caught up to Remus as they worked their way through the crowd. "Do you see her yet?"

Remus shook his head. "Not yet." James lifted his head up to scan the crowd, and then quickly ducked as a curse sped his way.

"Let's head over—Merlin, that hurts!"

Remus spun around to see James clutching his side. Blood seeped through his robes where a nasty curse had hit him. "_Impedimenta_!" he shouted as the Death Eater that attacked James raised his wand again. He spun out of the way, however, and blasted Remus aside with a quick Stunning spell.

There was no time to aid his friend. James gritted his teeth against the pain as he began to duel his assailant. The curses were rapid fire, and James found himself calling on most of the curses he'd used against Snape throughout the years. The Death Eater was quick, though, and as such rarely even used a Shield charm. James was driven back, step by step, until he found himself pressed against a wall with his opponent still approaching. Exhausted, he raised his wand again, but it was pulled from his grasp with a brisk "_Expelliarmus._"

Grinning maliciously, the Death Eater pointed his own wand at the injured boy. "_Avada—"_

Abruptly, his attacker's body turned limp and he slumped to the floor. Behind him was a witch glaring with her wand pointed at the body. James grinned as he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He'd recognize that mane of curly red hair anywhere. "Lily. I was looking for you."

"Yeah, well, you found me." Lily walked up to him and put her arm under his. "Come on James, we've got to go."

"Wait, Remus—he was hit with a Stunner. He should be over there." Motioning to the side of the room, James let Lily support him as they picked their way across the floor. She fired off Stunners whenever she had a clear shot at one of the invading Death Eaters. Spotting Remus sprawled facedown, Lily squatted and quickly revived him. Remus blinked his eyes slowly, and then jumped up.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

James shrugged. "Not much."

Lily once again took her position on James's side. "I need your help to get him over to the fireplaces, Remus. He's too weak to stand."

James frowned, about to make a wisecrack, but then changed his mind as Lily cursed a nearby Death Eater. She didn't seem to be in the best of moods at the moment, and James knew from experience that it would probably be best to let this one slide. Plus, he was starting to feel a little dizzy, so maybe she had a point.

* * *

Peter inched his way through the crowd. He had lost Alex and the children when he had been shoved from behind and lost his footing. He spotted the elder Potters holding their own against five Death Eaters between them on the far side of the room, but they were too far to go to for help.

He had just spotted the back of Alex's head when he tripped over something soft and hit the floor with a loud thud. He groaned as he pushed himself up to his knees, then turned and saw that it was a girl he had hit. She was young, and as Peter inspected her closely, he recognized her as being in Hufflepuff, a year younger than himself. Her name started with an E… Elisabeth? No—Emily. Emily Jule.

He poked his wand in her direction. "_Ennervate_," he whispered. She slowly shook her head as her eyes opened.

"What… what happened?" she slurred. Peter helped her to her feet.

"I don't know; I just got here." Emily nodded, still a little disoriented. Peter grasped her arm. "Come on, I know how to get out." The pair quickly made their way over to the fireplaces.

* * *

Alex anxiously stood at the fireplaces. She had already sent the children through to the Potter Manor with strict instructions to not wander about. Only Peter and some new girl—Emily, she thought it was—had made it back so far. Her two best friends, as well as her boyfriend, were still missing. Another five minutes and she was going back to find them.

Peter, who was scanning the room as well, suddenly pointed over to his left. "There's James and Remus! And Lily, too." Indeed, the trio was only a few steps away from them now.

She turned around again and saw the rest of their friends approach. Frank was supporting Sirius, who was having some trouble walking. "What happened?" Alex demanded as Sirius let go of Frank and put his arm around her shoulders in a half-embrace, half-stagger.

"He was hit by a Confounding Charm, but it's starting to wear off. Luckily some Aurors showed soon afterwards—I don't think we could have lasted much longer without him." Alice ran her eyes over the group, then nodded, satisfied that everyone was there. "Alright, let's go. Where to?"

"The Potter Manor," James said, still clutching his side.

Alex grabbed some Floo Powder and threw it on the fire, then shoved Sirius into the green flames. "Potter Manor," she supplied for him, and he was whisked away. One at a time, the remaining teens stepped into the fire and away from the battle.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, everyone was still in the front parlor. Alice and Frank were talking with the seven children and figuring out the best way to let their parents know they were safe. Sirius was lying on the couch with a headache, and Alex was helping Remus wrap up his arm. Peter and Emily were poking at the food the House Elves brought, to lost in their own thoughts to keep up a conversation. James was on the other couch, turning a shade of grey that Lily didn't like. She put pressure on the gash on his stomach, which seemed to help, but she was no Healer.

The flames in the fireplace turned green, and instantly all eyes were turned towards it. Mrs. Potter appeared, looking tired but not seriously injured. She pursed her lips tightly as she took in her son's injury, then stalked over and took Lily's place as she began to heal it. Once finished with that, she offered her assistance to Remus, who gladly accepted.

Once again the fireplace glowed green, and this time it was Mr. Potter who stepped out. He had a number of shallow cuts on his face. He took a seat in an armchair and allowed his wife to grimly patch up his injuries.

The tension in the room was high, until Sirius finally burst. "Well? What happened?"

Mr. Potter sighed. "The house had a variety of wards set up on their house— Anti-Apparation, Anti-Portkey, and invitation-only Floo connections. Unfortunately, the wards that were put up to stop someone from simply walking onto the property weren't strong enough and fell after only a few well-placed spells."

"Were there any... did anyone…"

"Yes, Alex, there were some casualties. I'm not sure how many exactly, but the Ministry is sorting things out now. I only saw a few names before I left. I'm sorry, but your old Professor Milles was on that list."

Alice cried out as Frank gathered her into his arms. The teens stared at Mr. Potter in shock. "But… why?" Lily asked. "Why were they there? I thought it was a party of mostly purebloods."

"It was," Mrs. Potter answered. "But the Vivirs are a strong supporter of muggleborn rights, as well as most of their guests."

"What happened, though?" James wanted to know. "After we left."

"The Ministry arrived, but by then most of the Death Eaters had retreated past the wards and Apparated away. I don't think they were expecting much of a fight, since it was just a party. A few were captured, however, but they aren't talking. At least, not yet." Mr. Potter rose from the chair. "I spoke with your parents," he said, nodding at the teens. "They think it's best if you stay here until the morning. As for you, children, it's safe to Floo back now. I'll go with you—I'm needed anyway." He gave Mrs. Potter a swift kiss on the forehead and then followed the children through the fireplace.

* * *

Later that night, when they were all in their rooms, James heard a soft knock on the door between his and Lily's room. He reached into his closet and pulled out a shirt, then jammed his glasses on. "Come in," he said.

The door opened, and Lily shyly stepped in. She walked over and joined James in sitting on the bed. There were a few moments of silence before he spoke. "Is something wrong, Lily?"

She shook her head. "No nothing's wrong. I guess I just… well, this year has been crazy. It hadn't really hit me until today. We're only in sixth year! We shouldn't be in the middle of all these fights. It's wrong. And… it's scary." Lily started to quiver, and James put an arm around her waist. She leaned into him, whispering now. "I'm scared, James. The world is going to hell, and we're trapped right in the middle of it. I guess I just need someone to tell me that in the end, it will all be okay. That maybe, somehow, the world will make sense again."

James was silent for a moment, then his grip on her tightened. "I can't promise that we're always going to be safe, Lily. I wish I could, but I can't. Do you know why? It's because people like you and me and the rest of us aren't going to just sit by and let our world go down in flames. We have to stand up for what is right; what is good. And as long as we do that, there is going to be danger. There is going to be pain. But in the end? When good finally wins? It will all be worth it. You just have to believe that. In the end, we'll be able to look back and be proud that we didn't abandon everything we believe in. So yeah, in the end, it will be alright. We just have to hold on until that day comes."

Lily wrapped her arms around James. "Thank you," she whispered.

The pair stayed like seated until the stress of the day overwhelmed them and they fell back onto the bed, lost in dreams of a better world.

* * *

Author's notes:

So when I started to write again, I told myself that I'd write three more chapters. And if it didn't seem like there was much interest anymore, I'd bow out. At least I could say I'd tried. So I'm giving it another two weeks, and if there isn't any interest, I'll take the hint and turn my creative energies elsewhere. So this is a "Speak now or forever hold your peace" kind of decision. I have a lot more planned, but it's up to you guys, as the readers.


	53. Of Portraits and Pleasing Presents

Christmas was a subdued affair at the Potter household. Lily had awoken in James's bed- an event that she swore would never happen since she'd known of the existence of hormones. Luckily, she was the first to wake, and managed to slip off the bed and escape to her room before James could notice. She was, however, surprised to see Alex and Alice chatting on her bed.

"Where HAVE you been?" demanded Alice at the sight of her flustered friend.

Grasping for an excuse, Lily found her mind strangely void of anything to sate her friend's curiosity, except for the truth. "I was, ah, in James's room…"

Both Alice and Alex's eyebrows shot up in such a way that Lily would have found comical, had she not been feeling so awkward.

"Look, it wasn't like we were… I mean, we didn't… we were just talking, and then we fell asleep. It was a long day, you know?" The girls looked considerably more downcast at the reminder of the previous day's tragedy. Lily felt a little guilty about this, and so leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered, "But we WERE in the same bed," knowing that her friends' excited giggles would last for quite some time.

* * *

Mr. Potter was able to enjoy a hasty but elegant breakfast with the clan before having to rush off to the Ministry to interrogate some of the captured Death Eaters. The teens who weren't originally staying with the Potters soon followed suit and left to be with their own families. As the students were disappearing one by one into the fireplace, Sirius leaned over to Remus and whispered, "Oy, who's that?"

Emily was just reciting her address as Remus took a second look at her. "I don't know for sure- Edith? No, Emily. Emily Jule. She's a year younger than us, in Ravenclaw. I guess I just didn't notice her last night, in all the confusion. I-well then! Would you look at that!"

Before she had disappeared, Emily waved a shy goodbye to Peter, who was standing awkwardly next to the fireplace and immediately started blushing. Sirius and Remus laughed in the corner of the room, surprised but still pleased that their more socially-disinclined friend had some kind of a connection with the mysterious new girl.

Remus was the last to leave, and soon only James, Lily, and Sirius remained. Mrs. Potter had Flooed over to St. Mungo's, with assurances of being back by supper mixed in with threats should she return to find the house burned to the ground.

James and Lily were both pleased to find that there was no uneasiness between them, despite the deeply intimate conversation from the night before. The three of them traded of playing each other in Wizard's Chess, until a restless Sirius decided to lead the House Elves on a parade around the house whilst belting out sappy Celestina Warbeck songs and serenading the portraits. Lily found this endlessly amusing; childish though it may be.

Mr. Potter was the first to arrive back at the Manor, looking slightly haggard around the eyes. Nonetheless, he joined Sirius in his endeavors to open the portraits up to love. Lily was treated to a first-rate explanation as to where James acquired his easy-going nature, even if he didn't display it as frequently. Mr. Potter drew the line, however, when Sirius started informing the portrait of the previous Mrs. Potter that in order to seduce more men, she needed to dress more provocatively.

The rest of the Christmas Day was a bit more traditional. Mrs. Potter came home, the feast was served, the fire was lit, and Sirius only tried twice to Transfigure the Christmas Tree into a broomstick that dispensed presents ("Don't you see! It would be a present that keeps giving you MORE presents!")

Lily received several antique Charms books from the elder Potters, and was perhaps overly profuse in thanking them. After bestowing their other gifts upon the boys, the parents left the room to go spend some time alone.

Lily gave Sirius a book entitled Tips and Tricks to Win the Witch, which Sirius then claimed to have practically written himself. He and James exchanged various Quidditch paraphernalia, which came at no huge surprise.

James was slightly shocked when he opened his present from Lily. "I don't… understand…" he whispered as he gazed in awe at the package. He let the rest of the wrappings fall to the floor to reveal a box filled to the brim with colorful, gaudy Zonkos products.

"James, I still don't totally approve of you pranking the rest of the school, but with things being the way they are in the rest of the world… I figured we could all use a few laughs." Lily looked slightly abashed as she said this, feeling as though she was betraying the prefect code of conduct or something similar.

James just gave her a light hearted smirk. "You _could_ just say you like my pranks, Lily. Honest. I won't hold it against you."

"Oh, bugger off Potter," Lily retorted with a small as she reached for a smaller package, which just happened to be from James himself.

It took her some time to undo the overly-fastidious ties that held the package together. Her curiosity only grew as she saw that inside the wrappings was a small box. And inside the box… Lily felt her heart quicken as she lifted out the delicate silver bracelet. From the bracelet dangled four tiny silver bulbs.

"It's a Charms bracelet." James informed her. "I think the Muggles have something similar- here, let me show you how it works." He gently lifted the bracelet out of her hands and set it on the table. Lily gasped as he poked the first bulb with his wand. The bulb detached from the bracelet, rolled a few inches away, and then slowly, beautifully, transformed into a tiny seed that grew and blossomed into a lily before her eyes.

"You _are_ aware of how cheesy giving me a lily charm is, right?" Lily asked.

"Yes, I am, but I'm alright with being cheesy every now and then."

Lily was entranced by the flower as it began to sway and ruffle in an invisible breeze. She made herself look away and poke the next one with her wand. Again, the bulb distanced itself from the bracelet, then changed into a fierce lion no bigger than half her thumb. It stalked around the lily, dignified and intimidating, then began to play with unseen prey. The next two revealed a star the rose into the air and pulsed out a warm, comforting golden light, and, for some reason, a proud stag that Lily found herself grow attached to as it pranced around the table, carefree and elegant.

When she was done, the four figures folded themselves back into their bulbs, rolled back, and reattached themselves to the bracelet. "Thank you," Lily breathed out faintly as James attached it to her wrist. "It's beautiful."

"I know," said James. "It suits you."

Lily blushed; Sirius, however, off reading in the corner, made gagging motions behind his new favorite book.

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm back! (again). Well, it's the same drill as always. Read, and PLEASE review. It's the reviews that keep me going, and motivate me to write more. If not, I'll probably lose interest again... so the choice is up to you.

Just let me know what you think!! Good? Bad? Grammatical mistakes? Plot holes? Favorite quotes? Favorite scenes? What you liked or didn't like? Favorite chapter even? Or even a chapter title... all I'm asking for is a little feedback!


	54. A Thankful Return

Lily was almost sorry to see the end of her stay at the Potter's. She and Mrs. Potter had bonded quite nicely over a day-long shopping trip in Diagon Alley. Although Lily was almost certain Mrs. Potter would have been excited for any female companionship, between her own family, Sirius, and the continuous stream of male friends that flowed through the house. Remus and Peter were frequent visitors, of course, and Frank and some boys Lily didn't know from the other houses stopped by to play Quidditch every few days or so. Truth be told, Lily really didn't spend all that much time with James after Christmas, and instead got a glimpse into the rest of the Wizarding world as seen through Mrs. Potter's eyes.

This glimpse included a trip through old family albums, much to Lily's delight. She got to watch James in diapers try to wrestle a garden gnome, don a blue cape and pretend to be Dumbledore, and try on his mother's heels. The present-day James had blushed furiously when told of this, and refused to speak to Mrs. Potter for the remainder of the day.

But alas, break was over, and James and Lily were soon reunited with their friends back at Hogwarts.

* * *

"Come on! Spill! How was the kiss? Did James just grab you in a heat of passion, or was it slow and sweet?" Alex's badgering from the bed across the room forced Lily to grab her pillow tighter and blush.

"We didn't kiss!" she protested loudly. "Or anything remotely similar! I don't know where you're getting these delusions from."

"You two are going to be so cute together! Oh, can't you just see it! You're going to get married and have lots of babies and it's all going to be _so romantic_!" Alice gushed, eyes dancing with excitement.

"I promise you, there is nothing going on there! We're just friends, nothing more."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Lily, please. We saw the two of you on break. We saw the bracelet. I mean, you fell asleep in his _bed_! And you're trying to tell us that nothing else happened in the entire week you had him to yourself?"

"It wasn't like that at all! I barely saw him the rest of break. I spent most of my time catching up on my readings, I swear. And the bracelet…." Lily looked down at her wrist, where her gift from James was currently residing. "It was just an innocent gift."

"Mmhmm. You know, none of _my _guy friends get me such 'innocent gifts.'" Alice rolled onto her stomach to look at Lily more clearly. "Frank gives me that kind of jewelry. Not Remus or Sirius or any of the rest of them. Just Frank. And _we've_ been dating for about a year. You should think about that."

With a huff, Lily turned off the lights with a flick of her wand. "You girls are reading into things way too much. Goodnight."

* * *

"So, Prongs. Anything new with Lily over break?"

"Nope. Barely saw her."

"Oh well. 'Night."

* * *

Peter was walking to the dining hall on his way back from the library, muttering the strange Latin words to begin the Freezing Charm. He had just successfully avoided Peeves, who was hurling angry bowtruckles at passing students. Not completely paying attention to his surroundings, he was taken by surprise when he rounded a corner and found himself face-to-face with Emily Jule. "_Congel_- oh! Emily, hi!"

Emily blushed and shut the book she was reading. "Hi Peter. Er, how was your break? The rest of it, I mean."

Peter shrugged nervously. "Not too exciting. Played some Quidditch, did some homework… er, what about you?"

"Well, I… er… did some homework too. That's pretty much it… hey, are you going to dinner?"

"Yeah, I was actually heading down there now."

Emily smiled shyly at him. "Can I… would you mind… what I mean to say is, would you like to walk down together?"

Peter's blurted "Yes" perhaps came out a little too quickly, but Emily grinned anyway and the two began walking towards the great hall.

"So, were you talking to yourself when I ran into you or was I just imagining things?" she wanted to know.

Peter flushed, again. "Oh no, I was just practicing the Freezing Charm. I haven't quite mastered it yet and wanted to get in some practice for dinner."

"If you like, I can help you with that sometime. Charms has always been one of my favorite classes."

"Really? That would be just great," Peter said as he shot Emily another nervous smile. "Say, the library at seven?"

* * *

Lily was sitting in the library, reviewing her class notes from before break, when she noticed Snape go into some stacks near the stacks. Without really registering she was doing it, Lily started after him. She found the boy perusing through the Potions section, unsurprisingly. "Snape?"

Snape started and dropped several of the books he was holding. "Lily! I mean, Evans," he stammered out. "Er, what do you want?"

He watched apprehensively as Lily bent down to retrieve the fallen books. "I just wanted to thank you, really," she said. Standing, she placed the books back into his arms.

Snape looked at her confused. "For what, exactly?"

"For warning me about the attack at the party, however cryptically you may have said it."

Snape shook his head. "Why would you want to thank me for that? It didn't do you any good."

"No, but you tried. That means a lot to me." Lily looked at the floor while Snape's neck flushed slightly. "But Snape, I just have to know. How did _you_ know what was going to happen?"

Quickly regaining his composure, he gave her a quick glare. "Why, do you think I had something to do with it? Has Potter so poisoned your mind that it immediately jumps to that conclusion?"

"What?" Lily asked, angrily. "What does Jam— Potter has nothing to do with this!"

"Oh really? Isn't it true that you spent your entire break with him? The whole school knows, Evans. I'm just disappointed that you've sunk so low, to spend your time with such a low level, incompetent, arrogant-"

"Snape, stop! I don't tolerate him talking about you like that and I'm not going to stand for you speaking that way about him. All I wanted was the truth from you that's all."

"The truth!" Snape sputtered out. "You want the truth? Fine. The truth is that I happen to spend time in the Slytherin common room. And as I'm sure you can imagine, I hear lots of rumors floating around. And one day I happened to overhear something about the Christmas party, but I couldn't be sure if it was true or not, especially since half the time my idiotic housemates haven't a clue what they're talking about. But I thought that you, being a Muggleborn, shouldn't take the chance of it possibly being true. Maybe that's not something you can report back to Potter and the rest of your Gryffindor posse to sully my name farther than it has been simply by being a Slytherin, but it's the truth."

Lily blinked. And again. "Well, thank you. And Snape, I believe you."

Still huffing slightly, Snape offered Lily a tentative, but curt, smile. "Thanks Evans. Y'know, for spending so much time with Potter, you really-"

A voice from behind cut in. "Did someone say Potter?"

* * *

A/N:

OK guys, here's another chapter. As you might be able to guess, I am on break again and have found time to write a little. I'm not promising that I'm going to keep updating, though. But reviews, no matter how short or cliche, still both make my day and inspire me to continue. Before writing each new chapter, I look back at some recent reviews, and that's really what keeps me from doing something else. So the continuation of this story is really on you guys. Also, I'm thinking of re-titling it. Any ideas?


	55. So Close and Yet So Far

**Author's Note: **Hello all. I know it's been a while, but it started to bug me that I didn't give these characters closure. So, working from the outline I still had, I filled in some snippets of their lives. I hope to have, as the final piece of the story, three parts; the rest of their sixth year, their seventh year, and their lives after Hogwarts. This is the first part. As always, I appreciate your reviews. If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't be motivated to finish this.

* * *

James sidled up to Lily, barely giving her a glance before returning his attention to the boy. "What's going on here, Snape? You trying to pull something?"

Lily rolled her eyes and gave him a slight shove. "Lighten up James. We're just having a conversation. A perfectly normal social interaction; nothing to be concerned about. Snape here was just… helping me out with something."

Snape sullenly glared at James. "Yeah, Potter, don't get your knickers in a twist. See you around, Evans." With that, the boy melted into the shadows of the bookcases and was gone.

Lily chuckled a bit, then turned to face James. He was staring at her now, as if to determine for himself that Snape hadn't done anything. Those intense chocolate brown eyes were scrutinizing her so closely that Lily felt her neck begin to flush. Really, eyes like those were dangerous on a boy, especially one so charming as James Potter. If she wasn't careful, she'd begin to fall for those eyes (even more than she had already admitted to herself.) "Really, James, Severus wasn't doing anything wrong. In fact, he's been trying to do things right."

"What is that supposed to mean?" James asked suspiciously.

"Snape actually tried to warn me about the attack, James. He was trying to help."

"And just how did he know about this attack, exactly?"

"He said he overheard it in the common room-" Lily tried to explain but was cut off.

"Oh, Lily, come on! He 'heard about it?' Look, I know you used to be close to the guy, but why can't you see the obvious? He's _one of them_."

Lily was taken aback, but quickly regained her senses… and her anger. "You have no right to say that about him! Absolutely no evidence! Why can't you just accept the fact that he isn't the guy you try to make him out to be?"

James's face grew stony. "Look, Lily, I don't want you to see him again. He could be dangerous. I think he _is_ dangerous."

Lily could almost feel the heat shooting out of her eyes. "Are you _forbidding_ me from seeing him again? You have no right! We're friends, _Potter_. Just like you and I used to be." With that, Lily spun around and stalked out of the library, leaving James behind with his fists and jaw clenched tightly.

* * *

Still red-faced, Peter crouched in an alcove at the end of a long, deserted corridor. The Slytherin who had cursed him in front of the entire Transfiguration class waiting outside their classroom. And the boy had been two years his junior! Peter hadn't even had the chance to raise his wand before he felt his ears growing, sagging below his shoulders, then his elbows. Amidst the jeering laughter, he had fled to the Hospital for a quick remedy. And now he was all alone to let his hopelessness wash over him. Suddenly, footsteps.

"Peter, are you there? I saw you come this way; don't you dare hide from me."

Emily. Ever since the attack at the Vivir's house, the two of them had been spending time together, doing homework, eating meals, and walking around the grounds. If she was looking for him now, it was reasonable to assume that she had witnessed Peter's most recent embarrassment. Peter's head sunk even lower.

"There you are." Peter looked up to see Emily frowning down at him. "What do you think you're doing, exactly? You're being pathetic."

"Didn't you see what happened out there? How can I face those people right now?"

"Stop sniveling at me. Who cares what they think? That's why you're so afraid all the time, you know. You're too afraid of what your friends and everyone else think of you. Just let it go!" Peter turned to face her, and Emily leaned down to meet his eye level. "Confidence. Peter! You have to have more confidence!"

The next instant, before he could second-guess himself, Peter had grabbed hold of the back of her head and smashed her face into his in what was an inelegant, yet passionate kiss.

Peter was enjoying the kiss thoroughly, until he suddenly grew nervous and released Emily. Though terrified, he met her eyes and remained silent, awaiting her inevitable fury.

Instead, Emily smiled at him. "That's it, Peter. Confidence. We'll make a man of you yet."

* * *

Lily once again spent the summer with Alex, although this time, there was no unwelcome visit to the Potters'. Since their blow up in the library, the two had reverted back into their constant, angry bickering and refused to be left alone together, making things considerably awkward for their two friend groups which had begun to merge. She had not spoken to James since leaving school, but still heard updates on his life through Sirius's letters to Alex.

Apparently, James had been spending a lot of time with a girl he met at the local Quidditch practice pitch- a Hufflepuff girl, Jenny, one year younger than them- and what had started out as a casual flirtation had evolved into a steady relationship.

Alex had hesitated before sharing this with Lily, but Lily accepted the news with carefully performed indifference. Potter was no longer a part of her life, and she was much better off. If he had a new girl (not that she herself was ever "Potter's girl"), that only meant that Potter would have less time to spend annoying her. So this was better, really. She was fine. Completely fine.


	56. Alas, the End

Going back to Hogwarts had been less awkward than Lily thought. Once she resigned herself to the notion that she and Potter shared a lot of friends, and thus plainly ignoring him until they could graduate was ridiculous, she found it easier to accept his presence. Plus, the two were sharing the Head position, so they spent a lot of time together working on the assignments Dumbledore gave them. What they could split up, they did, but some things did require both of them at the same time.

Their relationship quickly evolved into one of careful, yet friendly camaraderie. Jenna, Lily was forced to admit, was a decently acceptable addition into James's, and therefore her, life. Until, that is, Lily was making her rounds around the corridors after hours and heard the undeniable sounds of snogging coming from one of the corner closets. Being in a foul mood, as she and James had just finished one of their— albeit rarer— bickerings, she threw the door open with force, prepared to lash out at whoever was inside.

And instantly, Lily knew she had found her next headache. The boy was some Ravenclaw she vaguely remembered seeing around school, but the girl, caught with her hands twined around the boy's neck, was undeniably Jenna. "Lily!" the girl gasped. "Look, I can explain… Roger and I… erm…got lost in-"

Her words were silenced by the sharp crack that echoed in the tiny closet. A red handprint, courtesy of Lily, throbbed on Jenna's face. "You're going to tell him," Lily spoke lowly and clearly. "And you're going to tell him now. 70 points from Hufflepuff."

* * *

The news of Jenna's cheating hurt James much less than he expected. He had only been seeing the girl for about two months, and truth be told, he hadn't let himself get terribly attached to her. And now, he was free to focus on other things. Like school. And his Head duties. And not thinking about Lily Evans.

* * *

"You didn't have to curse him, Potter! He was just trying to kiss me! That's what happens at the end of a date!"

"You know, you're not acting very grateful right now, Evans."

"Grateful? Why, pray tell, should I be grateful!" Lily was beginning to get worked up enough to literally see red, and it was all aimed directly at the insolent boy in front of her. "You RUINED my DATE!"

"He's a sleazeball, Lily! Honestly, why can't you see that?" Now James was beginning to get slightly angry. "The entire time you were lingering outside of the portrait, I don't think he looked up to your face more than three times!"

Lily clenched her fists and took a step closer to her current nemesis. "You were WATCHING? Why couldn't you just leave us ALONE?"

"Because I didn't want him to kiss you!" James blurted out. "He's… he's not right for you!"

"Then who is? You?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

The simple, one word answer took Lily by surprise. Did Potter just say yes? Then relief flooded her. "Oh, you're joking. This is not the time to be joking, Potter."

But James wasn't acting like he was joking. He wasn't towering over her in fury anymore, though he did take a step forward to gently grasp her hand. Head reeling, Lily absently let him. "You know there's… something between us. I know you feel it too. Chemistry, passion, whatever you want to call it. Don't just dismiss that."

"Potter, I…" Lily felt herself being sucked in by his warm, swirling hazel eyes. It would be so easy to just give in to those eyes, to just give in to her pounding heart. "...I have no idea what you're talking about." She pulled her hand back, looked at him coldly, and turned away. Not again. She was not going to fall for James Potter again.

Her progress back to her dorm was halted by a firm grasp on her elbow. James twirled her back to face him and pressed her lightly against the brick of the warm fireplace. "Liar."

Indignant, and refusing to meet his eyes, she responded, "What did you call me, Potter?"

"I called you a liar, Evans. Why do you have to make everything so bloody difficult?"

And then he kissed her.

It was the slowest, yet most intensely real kiss Lily had ever experienced. She'd heard that during kisses like these, the mind goes blank and just basks in supreme pleasure. But that was a lie. Her brain was instead pushed into overdrive, sensitive to every crackle of the dying fire, every breath she managed to steal, every strand of hair that got in the way until James brushed it aside, keeping his hand cupping her head with his thumb stroking her jaw. She forced herself to open her eyes just a tad, to be assured that this was really happening, and what she saw nearly made her legs give out. The expression on James's face was so sincere, so pure, and so honest that her heart actually hurt as all the ice she had built up against him was melted in an instant, and then she knew. This was perfect. This was _right_.

Lily felt an overwhelming urge to share with him her revelation. "James," she whispered.

James opened his eyes and took a step back, looking slightly distraught. "Lily, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to; I was just… Merlin, I'm an idiot." He took a few more steps backwards, and then turned to the stairs.

Lily was quite put out, and followed him over to the other side of the room. "Don't go."

The look on James's face as he turned back around was one of surprise. "Oh?" And then that cocky smirk that Lily hated so much appeared as he stepped closer to hold her once more. "Ooohhh."

"You're insufferable," Lily informed him as she tilted her head up.

"I know," said James. "But you like it."

"Yeah, maybe." And then because he wasn't acting fast enough, she kissed him. Because really, she wasn't finished yet.

And she didn't think she'd be finished for a long time.

* * *

Dating James Potter was certainly not what Lily had expected. Yes, they still fought occasionally, but the boy was undeniably sweet. When she came down with the flu, even though they were in the midst of fight about whether zebras were white with black stripes or black with white stripes that had escalated to a shouting match, James had literal buckets of soup sent up to her room by the House Elves he had befriended over the years.

And it was an adventure too. On their very first date, James took her through a secret passage to Hogsmeade, where he dared her to go touch the Shrieking Shack at midnight. Though not normally easily scared, Lily could only make it about three-quarters of the way across the lawn. James, of course, had run straight up to the building with that cocky smirk of his, and had only not gone into the actual building because of Lily's frightened pleas.

It was almost scary, how easy it was for them to fall into a rhythm of dating. Lily thought nothing of fetching a blanket to cover him when James fell asleep by the fireplace. But Lily knew that things had progressed far between the two of them the night they were working on creating the second semester's prefect rounds schedule. Seeing the snow falling outside the window made the couch warmed by the fire even cozier, and it was hard for Lily to resist James's playful pokes and attempts to… distract her from their duties. After the first hour, though, he had given up trying and was instead sprawled across the couch behind her, very obviously fighting sleep after having had a grueling Quidditch match just hours before.

Sighing, Lily dragged a blanket across him and turned again to her work, realizing that she would be on her own for this one.

Then, chills ran up her spine as James's hand grazed her back. She turned to face him, meeting his drowsy yet contented eyes. "Hey, Lily?"

"Yes James?"

"You know I love you, right?" It was not only the words that made Lily blush, it was certainty in his voice as he spoke them. As if he was just stating a fact, and wanted to make sure she was aware of it. Slowly, she nodded.

James smiled at her. "Good." And with that, he adjusted his arm to cradle his head more comfortably and closed his eyes. Lily remained where she was, surprised that she was not shocked to realize that she loved him back.

* * *

Though war was raging outside of Hogwarts, graduation was still a happy affair. Lily was ecstatic to see the elder Potters again (and his parents, James noted with joy, were just as enthused to see Lily once more).

The reception following the ceremony was boisterously loud and celebratory. Alice proudly showed her new ring to Mrs. Longbottom, who, as it turned out, had a beautiful smile. Peter sat on the couch with his arm around Emily, sharing Hogwarts stories with Remus and his mum. For once, Sirius had lost his easy-going demeanor as he stood before Alex's parents, holding her hand as she smiled up alternatively at him and her father, who was eying Sirius with borderline skepticism. The Suertes eventually were called away to speak with some of their Ministry friends.

"Come on Sirius, let's go walk by the lake."

"Not just yet, Alex. We spent some time with your parents; let's go see mine for a bit." Sirius began tugging Alex to the other corner of the room, as she protested with confusion.

"Your parents came, Sirius? I didn't even think you invited- oh."

Sirius stopped in front of Mrs. Potter, who turned to the two of them with a delighted smile and immediately gathered them into a hug.

"Ah, there you are, my boy," Mr. Potter said as he clapped Sirius on the back. "You know, the Missus and I were afraid this day would never come. We were sure that one of you boys would be expelled before the end. Yet here we are! And we could not be prouder."

"Wow Dad, glad to know you had so much faith in us," drawled James with a stony face as he approached his family, Lily at his side.

"Well, maybe we would have had more faith if your mother and I hadn't received more than ten letters from the school in your first year at Hogwarts detailing your various malfeasances, with slight undertones of criticism for our parenting."

At this, James had to laugh, and he hugged his mother one more time before tugging Lily off to the lake. It was a beautiful, sunny day, so the pair decided to lay down by the shore and watch their former classmates milling about.

"It's weird to think about, isn't it? That we're done with Hogwarts. We're adults now." Lily turned so she was face-to-face with James. "What do you think life's going to be like now?"

"I've been thinking, and quite honestly, I've got enough in the bank from my grandparents that I don't really need to get a normal, paying job. And it would feel almost wrong to get one. And I don't mean to sound conceited, but I really am quite good at dueling and such. I've heard that Dumbledore is involved in a small resistance movement against Voldemort; one that's not connected to the Ministry. That's where I feel I need to be."

"I've heard whispers of that too. And I see your point; with the world the way it is right now, I can't justify doing anything with my life other than trying to rectify it."

James's grip on her tightened as he turned away to look at the sky. "Lily, when you try to imagine the future, what do you see?"

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, trying to read his face.

James swallowed nervously. "What I mean is… when I try to imagine the future… all I see is you. Just you, Lily." With this, he turned his face back to her. "Do you… do you see me?"

Their faces were so close that the tips of their noses were barely touching. Flustered, Lily had to take a moment to catch her breath, but then whispered, "Yes. Always."

James's whole face lit up as he laughed for sheer joy, grasped her closer, and kissed her soundly on the lips. He released her after a moment's time and stroked her cheek. "Good," he whispered. "Because I got something for you." Without breaking eye contact, James reached into his pocket and pulled out a square, black box.

Startled, Lily placed her hand on his chest and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "James Potter, this had better not be one of your pranks or I swear I will sic Alex on you."

Laughing again, James flipped open the lid of the box to reveal a simple yet flawless diamond ring. Its stone, beset by two smaller diamonds, flashed in the sunlight as Lily stared at it, mesmerized. "So, what do you think? You want to spend the rest of your life with me, Lily Evans?"

Slowly, Lily returned his smile. "Call me crazy, but I think I do, James Potter."

* * *

Author's Note: So that's it. The end of Hogwarts. It's been a great couple of years and I have loved writing this and trying to bring more depth to characters who deserved it. It's been one heck of a ride, and I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have. Please, I would love to hear some reviews from you readers; this story is important to me, and I want to know your thoughts. If you've read this in its entirety, please don't stay silent; tell me what you think. I may come back and do one last mega-chapter later, but for now, goodbye!


End file.
